Rahul Gandhi stopped at Ghazipur border on his way to Sambhal with Congress delegation

Ghaziabad (UP): With prohibitory orders in place in Sambhal, Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi was stopped at the UP gate on his way to the district, reported PTI.

Curbs under Section 163 (power to issue an order in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which were set to expire on Sunday, have now been extended till December 31 in Sambhal.

A Congress delegation led by the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi were on way to violence-hit Sambhal when they were stopped. He was likely accompanied by five other Congress MPs from Uttar Pradesh. Newly-elected Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was also a part of the delegation.


"We will not permit Rahul Gandhi to Sambhal as prohibitory orders have been issued by the administration there. Police will stop Gandhi at UP gate," Ghaziabad Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra had told PTI.

He said ample police force has been deployed at the spot, he had said.

Tension had been brewing in Sambhal since November 19, when a Mughal-era mosque was surveyed on court orders following claims that a Harihar temple previously stood at the site.

Violence erupted during a second survey on November 24 as protesters gathered near Shahi Jama Masjid and clashed with security personnel. Four people were killed in the violence and many more were injured.

(With inputs from PTI)