Rahul-Priyanka to Visit Sambhal Amid Tight Security at Delhi-Ghazipur Border

New Delhi- Leader of the Opposition in Lok Sabha, Rahul Gandhi, along with Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and five party MPs from Uttar Pradesh, will visit Sambhal district in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday following violent clashes that occurred last month. The announcement was made by Uttar Pradesh Congress Chief Ajay Rai. Congress General Secretary Avinash Pande will accompany the party MPs.

The violence in Sambhal erupted on November 24, when protesters opposing a survey at the Shahi Jama Masjid attacked the survey team and police personnel. The clashes resulted in the deaths of five people.

Sambhal District Magistrate (DM) Rajendra Pensiya has requested officials from neighboring districts to prevent Gandhi from entering Sambhal by stopping him at their borders. The DM wrote to police commissioners and superintendents in Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ghaziabad, Amroha, and Bulandshahr.

The visit comes amidst ongoing prohibitory orders under the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) until December 31, prohibiting entry into Sambhal. Four people were killed and several others injured in violence during a court-mandated survey of a Mughal-era mosque in late November.

Congress leaders have accused the BJP government of suppressing dissent and orchestrating the violence. Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav has echoed these sentiments in Parliament, alleging that police personnel used both official and personal weapons, resulting in the deaths of innocent people and injuries to several others after locals pelted stones in protest against police high-handedness. The BJP accused the Congress and Samajwadi Party of engaging in "political tourism."

A judicial commission probing violence visited the affected areas on Sunday.

Restrictions in Sambhal

Entry of outsiders into Sambhal has been prohibited until December 10. The district collector of Sambhal has written to collectors of neighboring districts, instructing them to prevent Rahul Gandhi and Congress workers from entering.

The Congress party has pointed out that Section 163 is currently in effect in Sambhal and argued that under such circumstances, the administration should allow at least five members of their delegation to visit the area.

Congress workers have assembled at the party headquarters and will soon leave for Sambhal along with Rahul Gandhi.

On Monday, Ajay Rai and other Congress leaders attempted to visit Sambhal but were stopped midway.