Shahjahanpur (UP): At least 80 Congress party workers were arrested in Uttar Pradesh’s Shahjahanpur and several more in Sitapur on Monday, while holding a public meeting ahead of the ‘Nyay Yatra’ they had planned in support of the jailed law student who has accused the BJP’s Chinmayanand of rape.
Accusing the Uttar Pradesh Police of blocking the march, the Congress said its leaders, including former union minister Jitin Prasad, were detained.
The district borders of Shahjahanpur and Sitapur were blocked from all sides and prominent leaders were detained.
Party leaders had planned a 180-km march from Shahjahanpur to Lucknow in support of the Shahjahanpur victim.
The ‘padyatra’ was to start at Shahjahanpur and conclude in Lucknow in three days.
Shahjahanpur Superintendent of Police (city), Dinesh Tripathi, said, “Congress workers were holding a meeting in front of the party office at a time when prohibitory orders were promulgated in the city and 80 of them have been arrested. They had not taken any permission from the administration. After the arrest, they have been taken to Police Lines.”
Police sources claimed that Jitin Prasada, district Congress president Kaushal Misra, leader of Congress Legislative Party Ajay Kumar Lallu and senior party leader Dheeraj Gurjar were among those arrested and kept at Police Lines.
Heavy police deployment has been made at the Congress office in view of the march and roads leading to it were barricaded. However, many Congress workers reached the spot and began a public meeting.
Kaushal Misra claimed he and Prasada were under house arrest.
“SDM (sub-divisional magistrate) Sadar and CO (circle officer) City told me that I and Jitin Prasada have been put under house arrest. When they were asked why a heavy police force was deployed outside the residence of Prasada, we were told that no one will be taking out any padyatra,” he told reporters. (IANS)
