On Monday, Congress leaders in Uttar Pradesh accused the police of not allowing them to visit Sambhal, a district that has seen violence after a protest on a court-ordered survey of a Mosque. The protest, which began on November 24, became violent and claimed the lives of four people that was said to have been shot by the police. In reaction to this incident, the Congress party had arranged to pay a humble visit to Sambhal to evaluate the circumstances on the ground.
One such party member who leveled serious allegations was Congress leader Aradhana Mishra, who accused the Police of placing a strict barricade outside her residence in Lucknow, stopping her from coming out. She criticized the act carried out by the police, calling it total anarchy and non-respect of democratic freedoms. Mishra, frustrated, said, “What is unfortunate is that a delegation that is going for fact-finding is being halted. Security forces have been placed at my house. This is total anarchy. This topic is interesting to the public. Is it law and order when a person cannot venture out of his or her house?”
Similarly, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Rai met with official resistance on the same day. He got a police notice stating that he should not visit the Sambhal region since the authority wanted to prevent any peace and communal disturbances in that area. The notice required Rai to abide by the public interest to suspend the visit, which he was afraid could be in violation of an order issued by the District Magistrate. This order prohibited activities then under Section 163 of the BNSS Act, which has been designed to avert any activities that may cause a breach of peace.
The police move has triggered a political debate after Congress alleged that the state government was attempting to mask the details of the Sambhal violence. The party has called for a probe into the incident and to punish the perpetrators who led to the death of the people.
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