'Not just an attack on me...': Rahul Gandhi accuses UP police of blocking Sambhal visit, calls it a violation of constitutional rights

Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, on Wednesday alleged that Uttar Pradesh police stopped his convoy at the Ghazipur border, obstructing his planned visit to violence-hit Sambhal. Gandhi criticised the move as a violation of his constitutional right to meet affected citizens in his capacity as Leader of the Opposition.

Speaking at the Ghazipur border, Gandhi expressed his frustration, stating that he was even willing to travel alone under police escort but was still denied access. "We are trying to go to Sambhal, but the police are stopping us. As Leader of the Opposition, it is my constitutional right to meet the people, but they are preventing me. I offered to go alone with the police, but they refused. They’ve asked us to return after a few days. This is not just an attack on me but on the Constitution itself. This is the new India, where Dr. Ambedkar’s Constitution is under threat. We will not stop fighting," Gandhi declared.

Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra echoed her brother’s sentiments, asserting that blocking his visit was undemocratic. "Rahul Gandhi, as Leader of the Opposition, has every right to meet the victims of the Sambhal violence. He even proposed going alone with police protection, but they refused. The Uttar Pradesh police seem incapable of managing the situation, despite their claims of maintaining law and order," Priyanka Gandhi said, criticising the administration's response to the incident.

Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak accused Congress of politicising the violence. He defended the police's actions, citing the enforcement of Section 144, which prohibits large gatherings in areas under tension. "The Congress leaders are trying to disturb law and order in UP. Sambhal is under investigation after cartridge shells originating from Pakistan were recovered. This is no time for political theatrics. UP has changed; it’s now a state of law and order, not division," Pathak remarked.

The unrest in Sambhal began on November 24, when four people were killed, and several others injured after a mob hurled stones at officials conducting a survey of a Mughal-era mosque. The survey was ordered by a local court in response to claims that the mosque was constructed by demolishing a Hindu temple.

While the Uttar Pradesh government insists that law and order are under control, the standoff at the Ghazipur border has further escalated tensions, raising questions about the handling of dissent and democratic rights in the state.