Massive traffic jam was witnessed on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway at the Ghazipur border as Congress workers gathered ahead of Rahul Gandhi’s planned visit to Sambhal, Uttar Pradesh, defying heavy barricades, reports PTI.
Uttar Pradesh police set up barricades and began checking vehicles to prevent any disturbances. “We have information about the gathering on the highway and have deployed security personnel to avoid any untoward incidents,” said Assistant Commissioner of Police Swatantra Kumar Singh.
With prohibitory orders in place in Sambhal, Gandhi will be stopped at the UP Gate in Ghaziabad on his way to the district, a senior police official said.
Curbs under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS), which were to expire Sunday, have been extended until December 31. “We will not allow Rahul Gandhi into Sambhal due to the prohibitory orders,” said Ghaziabad Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra.
Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha, is leading a Congress delegation to visit violence-hit Sambhal on Wednesday, accompanied by five other Congress MPs from Uttar Pradesh. Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, newly elected MP from Wayanad, is also expected to join the delegation.
Tensions in Sambhal have been high since November 19, when a Mughal-era mosque was surveyed after claims that a Harihar temple had previously stood on the site. Violence erupted during a second survey on November 24, when protesters clashed with security forces near the Shahi Jama Masjid. Four people were killed, and many others were injured.