Uttar Pradesh govt denies permission to Rahul Gandhi-led delegation to visit violence-hit Lakhimpur Kheri

The Uttar Pradesh government on Tuesday denied permission to a five-member delegation of the Congress led by Rahul Gandhi to visit Lakhimpur Kheri district in the wake of Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) that has been imposed in Lucknow.

As per the official note, “Section 144 of CrPC implemented in the state capital Lucknow with immediate effect. Section 144 will remain in force in the capital till 8 November to maintain law and order and ensure adherence to COVID-19 rules in view of upcoming festivals, various entrance exams and farmers’ protests.”

Earlier Congress General Secretary K C Venugopal had sought permission for the Rahul Gandhi-led delegation to visit the area as leaders from Trinamool Congress and Rashtriya Lok Dal were allowed to visit the district on Tuesday.

Soon after the violent incident at Lakhimpur Kheri, political leaders made a beeline to visit the site and expressed their desire to meet the families of the victims.

Uttar Pradesh Police on Tuesday registered an FIR against Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Varda and 11 others for “disturbing the peace” in the state.

Earlier in the day, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra had claimed that she has been detained for the last 40 hours without any order or FIR.

In a statement, she said she has not been produced in front of a magistrate or any other judicial officer and neither had she been allowed to meet her legal counsel, who was standing at the gate of the compound since morning.

“Presently I am not going into the details of the completely illegal physical force used on my colleagues and me at the time of my arrest as this statement serves merely to clarify the continuing illegality of my confinement at the PAC compound in Sitapur, UP,” she said.

“I have not been served with any order or notice. Nor have they shown me an FIR. I have not been produced in front of a magistrate or any other judicial officer either. I have also not been allowed to meet my legal counsel who has been standing at the gate since morning,” the Congress leader also said.

Meanwhile, Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Misra said he would resign from his post if there was a single piece of evidence of his son Ashish being at the spot where violence broke out in Lakhimpur Kheri.

Speaking to IndiaToda y, Misra said, “I will resign from ministership if a single proof surfaces of my son being on the spot where the incident happened in Lakhimpur Kheri.”

On Monday, an FIR was filed against Ajay Misra’s son, Ashish Misra in connection with the case.

Speaking to ANI later, Misra said that his son is ready to depose before any investigating agency.

“An FIR has been registered. In our country, there is a rule of law and everyone has a right to file a complaint. During the evidence collection, everything will become clear. Investigators can check our call detail record, mobile location etc. It will become crystal clear that my son was not at the spot when the incident happened. My son is ready to depose before investigating agencies,” he said.

He added on Tuesday that his son wasn’t in the car when the incident took place and an unbiased probe should be carried out.

“My son wasn’t there in the car. After the car was attacked, driver was injured, car lost its balance and ran over a few people present there. I’ve expressed sympathies towards those who’ve lost their lives. There should be an unbiased probe,” he was quoted as saying by ANI.

Eight people including four farmers had died in the violence in the Lakhimpur Kheri district in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday.

Inputs from agencies