Gandhis not allowed to enter Meerut

LUCKNOW: Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were on Tuesday stopped from entering Meerut and meeting the families of those who died during the violent protests against the newly amended citizenship law. The Meerut Police, however, said the Congress leaders themselves decided to go back to Delhi owing to the imposition of Section 144 in the city.

“We asked the police to show us the order, but they did not show any order for stopping us and told us to return,” PTI reported Rahul Gandhi as saying. Senior police officials of Meerut have denied the claim.


“Their visit was proposed. However, when they came to the Partapur station area, the station in charge told them that currently things are under control in Meerut and section 144 is in place. Taking into account the imposition of 144, they decided among themselves to leave back for Delhi,” additional director general of Meerut Police Prashant Kumar said.

Later, senior state Congress leaders Imran Masood and Pankaj Malik met the victims’ families. A Congress spokesperson said the Gandhis would again try and meet the families on Wednesday, PTI reported. On Sunday, Priyanka Gandhi had visited Bijnor where at least two people were killed in violence during the anti-Citizenship Amendment Act protests last week. A delegation of four senior leaders from the Trinamool Congress visited Lucknow on Sunday to meet the families of the deceased, but they were detained at the airport.