Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who were heading towards violence-hit Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh, were stopped at the Ghazipur border between Delhi and Noida, causing a high-voltage drama, leading to massive traffic jams during the morning peak hours. The traffic congestion at Delhi-Meerut Expressway in Ghaziabad worsened as Congress workers gathered there ahead of Rahul and Priyanka’s planned visit to Sambhal. The Congress workers defied barricading and also engaged in a scuffle with the commuters on the stretch, who faced a harrowing time reaching their destinations due to the traffic congestion. Long queues of vehicles could be seen at the border, leaving commuters frustrated.
Many people got stuck in the jam at the Delhi-UP Ghazipur border, which led to their work being affected, and as a result, some lost their cool. Some couldn’t reach their offices, while others missed their exams. The situation was so dire that the angry crowd clashed with Congress workers. Vehicles were seen clogging the roads for several kilometres. Several commuters shared their grievances with The Pioneer, and slammed the Congress leaders for blocking the traffic during the morning peak hours. “My daughter is having an examination in Meerut at 1 pm. I have been stuck in traffic for the past two hours. If politicians want to protest, they can sit on the side of the road. Why should the public suffer?” said a commuter who was involved in the scuffle with Congress workers.
Sambhal authorities had requested neighbouring districts to stop the Congress leaders before they enter the district. The District Magistrate has written to officers in Bulandshahr, Amroha, Ghaziabad, and Gautam Buddha Nagar, appealing to them to intercept the Rahul Gandhis at the border. He has also instructed the officials to closely monitor Rahul Gandhi’s activities on his way to Sambhal.
As the Congress leaders stopped at the border, Rahul and other leaders stepped out of the vehicle and held discussions with senior police officers but were not permitted to proceed further. After hours of deadlock, Rahul and Priyanka were escorted to the Parliament in Delhi by the Uttar Pradesh Police in their vans.
Rahul said that he was willing to travel to Sambhal alone with the police but was not allowed to proceed. “As the leader of the opposition, it is my constitutional right. I should have been allowed,” he said. Priyanka who was accompanying him, added, “Rahul ji holds a constitutional post and has the constitutional right. He should be allowed to meet the victims’ families.”
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.
The Uttar Pradesh Police put up barricades and checked vehicles to prevent any untoward incident and Congress workers were seen attempting to climb over the barricades amid sloganeering. A scuffle broke out near the barricades. Prime facie, it seemed that some commuters and Congress workers clashed with each other at the border.
With the carriageway from Delhi to Uttar Pradesh heavily congested, commuters faced a harrowing time in reaching their destinations. The other carriageway was open, but the vehicles moved at a snail’s speed. Members of the Congress’ youth wing raised slogans and waved the party flag as the police stopped Gandhi, citing prohibitory orders in place in Sambhal.
The leaders left Delhi at around 10.15 am and reached the border at around 11 am. However, their convoy was unable to move further.After they were blocked, Congress General Secretary KC Venugaopal tweeted, “We are determined to meet the victims’ families in the interest of peace and communal harmony in our country, the UP government must allow the delegation to visit Sambhal”.
Earlier, Ghaziabad Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra said, “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.” A senior Delhi Police officer said the force has been deployed at the border to manage traffic, which is being diverted. Assistant Commissioner of Police Swatantra Kumar Singh said that they had inputs about the gathering on the highway. “We deployed security personnel to prevent any untoward incident,” he said.
