Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra faced significant obstacles during their attempt to visit the violence-affected Sambhal district on Wednesday, resulting in a dramatic standoff at the Ghazipur border between Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
The confrontation began around 11 AM when police erected barricades on the highway, halting the Congress convoy. Despite efforts to engage with senior police officials, the leaders were denied permission to proceed. This led to chaos as hundreds of Congress supporters attempted to breach the barricades, causing severe traffic congestion along the route.
In response to the police action, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal took to Twitter, asserting, “We are determined to meet the victims’ families in the interest of peace and communal harmony in our country. The UP government must allow the delegation to visit Sambhal.”
Authorities in Sambhal had previously requested neighbouring districts to intercept the Congress leaders, with the District Magistrate reaching out to officials in Bulandshahr, Amroha, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddha Nagar to prevent their entry. Additionally, the police initiated vehicle inspections along the Delhi-Sambhal route, leading to further traffic disruptions on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway.
The Congress delegation's visit was complicated by restrictions imposed in Sambhal, which bars outsiders from entering the area until December 10 following violent clashes related to a Mughal-era Shahi Jama Masjid survey.
These tensions arose from a petition claiming the site was once home to a Harihar temple. The police have invoked Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita 2023, prohibiting gatherings of five or more people. Sambhal Superintendent of Police Krishan Kumar warned that any attempt to enter the district would result in notices being served.
Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi, accompanied by five Congress MPs from Uttar Pradesh, departed from Delhi around 10:15 AM, expecting to arrive in Sambhal by 1 PM. However, their plans were thwarted by the police blockade.
Senior Congress leaders condemned the restrictions, with Jairam Ramesh describing the situation as “a dictatorship” and asserting, "We were going to Sambhal peacefully, but we are being stopped. There were riots in Sambhal, which is why we are going there. We have the right to go.”
Congress UP chief Ajay Rai echoed these sentiments, calling the actions a “murder of democracy through the blatant misuse of police.”