Lakhimpur Kheri: Priyanka Gandhi arrested, oppn leaders under house arrest

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been arrested from Hargaon in Uttar Pradeshs Sitapur district while she was on her way to Lakhimpur Kheri where violence had claimed eight lives on SundayOther opposition leaders are also being stopped from proceeding towards Lakhimpur Kheri after Sundays incident where the death toll has gone up to eightPriyanka Gandhis convoy was stopped in Lucknow and the police surrounded the Kaul House where she stays during her Lucknow visitsHowever Priyanka managed to hoodwink the cops and walked out of her residence form the side gate and after a short distance she got into a waiting car and left for Lakhimpur Kheri with Congress leader Deependra Singh Hooda at the wheel deependerSHooda priyankagandhi PriyankaGandhiwithFarmers__ pictwittercomOXtpuu2JE1mdash Congress INCIndia October 4 2021As soon as Priyanka reached Hargaon in Sitapur district around 6am on Monday she was stopped After a minor scuffle with women constable Priyanka demanded to see her arrest warrant The police personnel took her into custody and she was taken to the PAC office in the districtPriyanka Gandhi Vadra said I am not committing a crime by stepping out of the house I just want to meet the affected families and share their grief What wrong am I committing And if I have done something wrong then you UP Police should have an order a warrant You UP Police are stopping me my car but for what reasonCongress leaders who were accompanying Priyanka created a ruckus and staged a dharna to protest against her arrestUPCC president Ajay Kumar Lallu said that the arrest of Priyanka proved again that there was no democracy left in the political systemWe are well within out rights to protest and we are not going to be cowed down by such repressive measures he saidThe death toll in Sundays violence has gone up to eight and the BJP claimed that the deceased included one driver and three BJP workersBahujan Samaj Party MP Satish Chandra Mishra was not allowed to move out of his house in Lucknow at 3 am when he tried to move towards Lakhimpur Kheri Mishra demanded a written order which prevents him from moving out of his houseThe BSP general secretary said We want to visit Lakhimpur Kheri We are not being allowed to move citing law and order disturbance there We demand written order if they want to house arrest usThe Uttar Pradesh police tweeted that the situation in Lakhimpur Kheri was under control and adequate deployment of forces had been done to prevent any untoward incidentMeanwhile Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said in a statement issued late on Sunday night that he was saddened by the violence in his state that left eight people including four farmers deadHe promised strict action against those responsible following an investigation and made an appeal to maintain peaceBKU leader Rakesh Tikaits convoy was also stopped on its way to Lakhimpur Kheri He had reached Puranpur in Pilibhit districtTikait said that he will hold a press conference later in the dayHe said BKU would stage demonstrations at all district headquarters on Monday to protest against the Sundays incidentsBhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Ravans convoy was stopped near Khairabad in Sitapur He has been detained at Sitapur police lineAam Aadmi Party MP Sanjay Singh was stopped in Sitapur on his way to Lakhimpur Kheri on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday He was stopped during checking of vehicles in Laharpur area of the districtSamajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhary and former minister Om Prakash Rajbhar are scheduled to leave for Lakhimpur Kheri on Monday A heavy police force has been deployed outside their respective residencesA senior police official who spoke to IANS on condition of anonymity said We are not going to allow any political leader to go to Lakhimpur Kheri and worsen the situation We are trying our best to defuse tension and normalize the situation We cannot allow some leaders to derive political mileage at the cost of the situationIn another major development union minister of state for home Ajay Mishra Teni whose earlier statement apparently triggered off trouble on Sunday said that his son Ashish Mishra Monu was not present at the site where the violence took placeThe farmers had alleged that Monu had mowed down farmers while driving his SUVThe police have taken Ashish Mishra to a safe house to ensure his safety and securityThis story has been sourced from a third party syndicated feed agencies Midday accepts no responsibility or liability for its dependability trustworthiness reliability and data of the text Midday managementmiddaycom reserves the sole right to alter delete or remove without notice the content in its absolute discretion for any reason whatsoever