UP Cong chief, others leaders detained as police thwart Assembly siege protest, party worker dead

Lucknow, Dec 18 (PTI) The Congress’ Uttar Pradesh chief Ajay Rai and state incharge Avinash Pande among others leaders and workers were on Wednesday detained as they tried to leave the party office here for their planned siege of the state assembly during the ongoing Winter Session.

A Congress worker also died during the protest with Rai claiming the death was due to “police brutality” while a senior police officer said he was brought dead to the hospital with no injury marks on body.

“We will throw out the Yogi government from power in 2027,” Rai told reporters from a bus after police detained him amid heightened security measures in the state capital to thwart the Congress protest.

“They want to kill me and other Congress leaders. They are scared of our leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi,” he said.

The opposition party was protesting against the UP government over issues like farmer distress, unemployment, inflation, privatisation and law and order.

Barricades were set up around the Assembly premises to prevent Congress workers from reaching the protest site, while route diversions severely impacted traffic movement in the heart of the city.

The police citing curbs under Section 163 (power to issue an order in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) that are in place in Lucknow, did not allow party workers to move ahead from the party Mall Avenue office.

The workers who came out of the office tried to break the barricades and move towards the Assembly but their bid was foiled by the heavy police force deployed there. Rai also tried to scale a barricade and briefly fainted on the road after which he was helped by party workers to regain consciousness.

Police said 28-year-old Prabhat Pandey, a native of Gorakhpur, was brought dead to the hospital from Congress office.

“Prabhat Pandey was brought to the Civil Hospital in Hazratganj in an unconscious condition from the Congress office. The doctors declared him brought dead,” DCP (Central Lucknow) Raveena Tyagi said.

“Prima facie, according to doctors, there was no visible injury mark on his body. Apart from this, a post-mortem would be done by a panel and the process would be videographed. Accordingly further legal proceedings would be carried out,” Tyagi added.

Rai on X said: “This incident is extremely sad and condemnable. Our Congress family is hurt and angry by this accident. We will not tolerate this incident at all.”

“The Yogi government should give financial assistance of Rs 1 crore to the family of the deceased and a government job to one member of the family as compensation,” Rai added.

Rai, Pande and other leaders were earlier seen outside the party office addressing workers, but they were restrained by the police as they tried to head for the siege. The action continued outside the office for about four hours after which the police detained the leaders.

Rai slammed the BJP government over Sambhal violence.

“The issues affecting farmers, unemployed youth, inflation, and the worsening law and order situation in the state are being overshadowed. The BJP seeks to create religious and caste-based divides to divert attention from their failures. Despite these hurdles, our fight will continue, and we will try to reach the Assembly,” Pande told reporters.

Congress Legislative Party (CLP) leader Aradhana Mishra ‘Mona’ raised the matter in the state assembly where she alleged that the government is killing democrac and stifling the voice of the people.

She claimed that police were cracking down on protesters, to which Speaker Satish Mahana responded: “You have a lot of privilege (being CLP leader) but you do not have the privilege to hijack Vidhan Sabha (Assembly proceedings). You are free to go anywhere you want and I will see to it who stops you.”

State Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Kumar Khanna said, “What is the protest today for? It is unnecessarily spreading anarchy.”

Leader of Opposition and Samajwadi Party lawmaker Mata Prasad Pandey said in a democracy everybody has the right to protest and alleged that the government is adopting tactics that weaken democracy.

“When we wanted to go to Sambhal, we were not allowed to go there,” Pandey added, referring to a Samajwadi Party delegation’s proposed visit to the district last month after the violence in the district.

Mona later said, “The Congress wants the government to answer on key issues like lawlessness, communal unrest, privatisation, unemployment, and inflation, which have reached alarming levels.”

“As a national party, it is not just our right but also our moral responsibility to demand accountability. However, look at what’s happening raids at our party offices, barricades, and barbed wires to stop us from peaceful protests. Is this democracy?

“Even peaceful protests are now met with suppression.This violates the fundamental rights enshrined in the Constitution by Babasaheb Ambedkar,” she said.

Security was stepped up on Wednesday with all roads leading to the Uttar Pradesh assembly premises barricaded ahead of the state Congress’ assembly siege protest.

A Congress worker from Lakhimpur Kheri said, “I joined the protest despite an injury to my foot, but the police forcibly put me on a bus.”

“We are not being allowed to march towards the Assembly. This clearly shows that even peaceful demonstrations are not permitted in this democracy. The BJP government is so terrified that it cannot tolerate peaceful protests,” another detained worker said.

Asked about the gherao, Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak said that it has only been planned to grab media headlines and the Congress has no connection with the people.

The Congress is surrounded by “misdeeds and its workers are directionless”, Pathak said, adding the gherao will prove to be a “flop show”.

“The state is progressing rapidly with its all-round development after 2017. The people of the entire state believe that the government has worked to bring Uttar Pradesh to number one position in the nation. The law and order has improved,” he asserted.

Rai had on Tuesday claimed that the state government, fearing the Congress protest against its “unjust” policies, has placed party members under house arrest in several districts to prevent them from participating in the demonstration.