PremiumNEW DELHI : Chaotic scenes are being witnessed as Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra are marching towards Hathras to meet the deceased gang-rape victim's family.
Meanwhile, Rahul Gandhi has been detained by the Uttar Pradesh police along with Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, according to sources. Pictures from the scene shows both of them were sitting inside a police vehicle. After the Congress workers did not allow the vehicle to move, the cops reportedly resorted to lathicharge. The leaders have now been taken away by the police, visuals show.
Taking to Twitter, the Congress shared a video of both the leaders being taken away in a police vehicle and wrote, "Shri @RahulGandhi, Smt @priyankagandhi & senior Congress leaders have been arrested by the UP police."
Several videos, which went viral on Twitter today, showed Rahul Gandhi being allegedly shoved to the ground. "Just now police pushed me, lathicharged me and threw me to the ground. I want to ask, can only Modi Ji walk in this country? Can't a normal person walk? Our vehicle was stopped, so we started walking," Rahul Gandhi said as he has been stopped at Yamuna Expressway on his way to Hathras.
Rahul Gandhi pushed to ground, falls, says report
Reacting to the incident, the police officials told a news agency that there were prohibitory orders in place in Hathras, where the UP administration has imposed CrCPC Section 144, restricting entry of any outsider to the district.
“We have stopped them here. The Epidemic Act is being violated. We will not allow them to proceed forward," Noida ADCP Ranvijay Singh told ANI.
Ahead of the Congress leaders' visit, the Yogi Adityanath administration has enforced a ban on large gatherings and put up barricades at the Delhi-UP borders citing the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dozens of reporters and people were seen clicking photos of the two leaders as they got off their vehicle and started walking with the Congress workers.
Since 1 October morning, the media has been barred from the woman's village.
The reason behind this, as UP officers claim, is that tight restrictions are in place since 1 September and has been extended to 31 October in view of Covid-19. A top official also claimed that several policemen had shown symptoms of coronavirus.
The Yogi Adityanath-led UP government has imposed prohibitory orders in Hathras. "Section 144 (of the Code of Criminal Procedure) has been imposed in the district. It will be in force till October 31," District Magistrate PK Lakshkar said today. The administration has also ordered to seal the borders of Hathras district.
