With an eye on the Dalit vote bank, Congress leaders, including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and UP Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu are not leaving any opportunity to appease the community.

On Thursday, Lallu was arrested in Amethi while staging a protest against the state government over an incident in which a 16-year-old Dalit girl was beaten up and molested in the district a few days back. A day before, on Wednesday, Priyanka had attacked the Bharatiya Janata Party government over this issue and had warned of a state-wide agitation. She also met the members of Valmiki community in Agra and asked them to suggest a candidate from their community to contest the UP assembly polls.

"When I came to Agra after the death of Arun Valmiki, I wondered what we could do for the people belonging to the Valmiki community. You have seen atrocities against the people of the community again and again, whether it is in Hathras or in Agra," Priyanka said.

As per reports from Amethi, a large number of Congress workers led by Ajay Kumar Lallu started the protest demonstration from Ramlila Maidan, which culminated at Rajiv Gandhi tri-section, where the protesters sat on a dharna. They also raised slogans against the BJP government in the state and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. Subsequently, the police arrested Lallu and other party workers.

Superintendent of Police of Amethi, Dinesh Singh, said the UP Congress chief was arrested for staging a protest without permission and squatting on the road.

After a video clip of the Dalit girl being beaten up and molested at a village in Sangrampur police station area in Amethi went viral on social media, the police filed an FIR against Rahul Soni, Suraj Soni and Shubham Gupta alias Sakal based on the complaint from her father. The three accused were subsequently arrested and sent to jail.