UP cops put up barricades as Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka head to Sambhal today
As Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi are expected to visit Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh today.
Which witnessed deadly clashes days ago, heavy security measures have been put in place in the city, nearby areas, and along their route from Delhi.
Sambhal authorities have requested neighbouring districts to stop the Congress leaders before they enter the district. The District Magistrate has written to officers in Bulandshahr, Amroha, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddha Nagar, appealing to them to intercept the Gandhis at the border. He has also instructed the officials to closely monitor Rahul Gandhi’s activities on his way to Sambhal.
Barricades have been placed at various locations, and vehicle inspections have been initiated on the Delhi-Sambhal route. Massive traffic jams were reported at different points on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway, especially at the Ghazipur border, which connects Delhi to Noida.
The Congress leaders are planning to visit Sambhal amid restrictions barring the entry of outsiders to the area until December 10, which were imposed after violence erupted over a survey of the Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid, following a petition that claimed the site previously had a Harihar temple.
Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023 (formerly known as Section 144) has been invoked in Sambhal, prohibiting the gathering of five or more people.
“Section 163 of the BNSS is already imposed in Sambhal. No outsider is allowed (to enter Sambhal). If they come, then they will be served a notice,” Superintendent of Police of Sambhal Krishan Kumar said.
Rahul Gandhi is expected to leave Sambhal by road at around 10 am and is expected to reach there by around 1 pm. After the visit, he is expected to return by 2.30 pm and reach Delhi by 3.30 pm, party sources said.
Along with the Gandhis, five Congress MPs from Uttar Pradesh are also expected to visit Sambhal. The party has stated that the leaders will be visiting the family members of four protesters who died in the violence on November 24.
Meanwhile, Congress leaders slammed the Sambhal authorities’ directions. Party’s UP unit chief Ajai Rai called it the “murder of democracy through blatant misuse of police.”
Congress leader Ajay Kumar Lallu argued that being the Leader of Opposition, Rahul Gandhi has the “right to see what is going on in the country”. “If the LoP does not visit the site, how will he keep the issue in Parliament? We want to see the situation in Sambhal, but why is the government stopping us? Isn’t this a dictatorship?,” he asked.
PAK BULLETS FOUND IN SAMBHAL
The Uttar Pradesh Police said that a forensic team investigating the Sambhal violence site recovered six empty cartridges made in Pakistan. Sambhal Superintendent of Police Krishan Kumar also stated that the assistance of the anti-terror agency NIA will be sought in the matter.
“The forensic team had to reach the spot today (Tuesday) and investigate the incident that occurred on 24th November. Some shells buried in the ground have been recovered. ‘POF’, ie, Pakistan Ordnance Factory, is written on one shell, and ‘FN Star’ is written on another shell,” the officer said.
He termed it a “very serious matter and help from other agencies will also be taken for its investigation. NIA’s help will also be taken”.