Rahul, Priyanka Gandhi stopped at Ghazipur border on way to violence-hit Sambhal amid entry ban

Congress leaders, including Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, have been stopped at the Ghazipur border on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway on their way to violence-hit Sambhal, according to an ANI report.

The delegation has been stopped due to prohibitory orders in place in the district following last month's violence during a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid that killed five people.

The Congress delegation for the Sambhal visit consists of the Gandhi siblings and five other Congress MPs from Uttar Pradesh.

‘Prohibitory Orders in Place’

Earlier in the day, speaking to PTI, a senior police officer said that Gandhi would be stopped at the Uttar Pradesh gate on his way to Sambhal district due to prohibitory orders in place in Sambhal.

“We will not permit Rahul Gandhi to Sambhal as prohibitory orders have been issued by the administration there. Police will stop Gandhi at the UP gate. Ample police force has been deployed at the spot,” Ghaziabad Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra told PTI.

Sambhal is facing curbs under Section 163 (power to issue an order in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) until December 31, 2024. While this was earlier set to expire on December 1, the order has been extended until the end of the year.

District Magistrate Urged Stoppage

On December 3, the district magistrate of Sambhal, Rajendra Pensia, wrote to the police commissioners of neighbouring Gautam Buddh Nagar and Ghaziabad districts and the superintendents of police of Amroha and Bulandshahr districts, urging them to stop Gandhi at the borders of their districts during the visit.

“On November 24, a remaining survey was conducted, following which members of the Muslim community staged massive protests involving gunfire, stone-pelting, and arson. As a result, the situation in Sambhal district has become extremely sensitive. Until December 10, the entry of any external individuals, social organisations, or public representatives into the Sambhal district is restricted without prior approval from the competent authority. Prohibitory orders have been issued under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagrik Suraksha Sanhita, 2023,” the Sambhal DM said in the letter.

(With inputs from PTI)