LUCKNOW: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was on Saturday forcibly stopped from meeting the family of a man who had recently taken part in the anti-Citizenship Act protests in Uttar Pradesh. According to reports, Priyanka's car was stopped in Lucknow by the police while she was on her way to visit the family of Sadaf Jafar, who was arrested in connection with the violent protest against the Citizenship Amendment Act, 2019 in UP.
"They have stopped me midway on the road. What is the meaning of this? There's no point stopping us on the road. It's not an issue of the SPG, but of the UP Police," she said while speaking to reporters.
Priyanka also accused the UP Police of mistreating her and other Congress leaders. The Congress leader alleged that she pushed by the female police personnel and one of them even grabbed her neck.
"I was on my way. A vehicle came in front and stopped our vehicle. I was told I can't go. I asked why can't I go? they said I can't go. I was manhandled by the police. They grabbed my neck," Priyanka Gandhi said.
Priyanka then travelled on a two-wheeler to meet family members of former IPS officer SR Darapuri, who was also arrested during a protest against Citizenship Amendment Act.
Reacting to the incident, Congress said in a tweet that Priyanka`s car was "forcefully stopped" by UP Police while she "was on her way to meet the family members of former IPS officer SR Darapuri".
Earlier during the day, Priyanka attended the party's 135th Foundation Day celebrations and administered the oath of the Preamble of the Constitution to party workers. She asked the party workers to follow the path of great Congress leaders who made the supreme sacrifice for the country and also urged them to oppose all those who attacked the Constitution and its values.
"We are the voice of the last man standing on the edge of society. Love, brotherhood and peace are the facets of truth. We take a pledge to stick to our ideology of non-violence and kindness. We are the Congress," Priyanka said. Slamming Prime Minister Narendra Modi for saying that his government never discussed a nationwide National Register of Citizens (NRC), Priyanka Gandhi asserted that the country is now able to recognise his "cowardice."
It may be noted that the state's police has arrested over 1200 people in connection with the violence which erupted in the wake of the protests against CAA across the state.
