Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said that he will visit the violence-affected Sambhal district to assist those impacted by the unrest. In a self-recorded video posted by the Samajwadi Party on X, Akhilesh expressed his intentions, saying, “I will go to Sambhal and help those who are suffering. To ensure justice and provide support, whether by raising questions in the Lok Sabha or through continued efforts, we will do everything necessary. The government is also disregarding the Places of Worship Act. What are they trying to uncover?”
This statement comes after Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accompanied by Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi and other party leaders, was stopped by police at the Ghazipur border while attempting to visit Sambhal. Following the incident, Rahul Gandhi criticized the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), asserting that visiting Sambhal was his constitutional duty. He described the restrictions placed on him as unconstitutional.
In a post on X, Rahul Gandhi wrote in Hindi, “The police stopped us from going to Sambhal. As the Leader of the Opposition, it is my right and duty to go there. Yet I was stopped. I am willing to go alone, but even that was not allowed. This is against the Constitution. Why is the BJP afraid? Why is it using the police to conceal its failures? Why is it suppressing the message of truth and brotherhood?” Rahul Gandhi also shared a video of his conversation with a police officer.
The violence in Sambhal began on November 24 during an examination of a Mughal-era mosque by the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), resulting in four deaths and several injuries among both police officers and local residents.
With inputs from ANI.