Congress Leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Stopped at Ghazipur Border on Way to Violence-Hit Sambhal
New Delhi [India], December 4: Congress leaders, including Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were stopped at the Ghazipur border on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway while on their way to visit violence-hit Sambhal.
As their convoy reached the border, barricades were placed, halting traffic and preventing their passage. Security was heightened at the border, leading to significant traffic snarls.
In response to Rahul Gandhi’s visit, SP MP Ram Gopal Yadav remarked, “Our party was already heading there and were not allowed. They (Rahul Gandhi and other Congress leaders) are going only now.”
Earlier, Congress leader Ajay Kumar Lallu stated that Rahul Gandhi would definitely visit the violence-affected Sambhal, meet the victim families, and raise the issue in Parliament. He questioned the government’s attempt to block the visit, asking, “Why is the Government stopping us? What are they trying to hide? As Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi has the right to witness the situation. The incident in Sambhal is condemnable. People have been killed, and we must know who is responsible.”
The violence in Sambhal began on November 24 during an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) examination of a Mughal-era mosque. The clashes resulted in the deaths of four people and injuries to both police officers and locals. The ASI survey followed a petition in a local court claiming the mosque site was originally a Harihar temple.