Lakhimpur Kheri Violence: Priyanka Gandhi Arrested by Sitapur Police

Priyanka Gandhi Arrested: A day after the detention Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi has been arrested. Sources said that she will be presented in front of the district magistrate but her office has said that they have not been informed of anything by the district administration yet.

The Sitapur police made the arrest and the guesthouse has been notified as a temporary jail. Apart from Gandhi, Deepender Singh Hooda, UP Congress state president Ajay Kumar Lallu and party MLC Deepak Singh have also been arrested. Gandhi has been arrested under section 151 (arrest to prevent the commission of cognizable offences).

The Congress leader was detained in Uttar Pradesh as she was headed to meet the families of four dead farmers who died in the violence the erupted on Sunday. A total of eight people including four farmers have been killed when a convoy of three SUVs, including one reportedly owned by Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra, hit the people protesting. Read more about it here.

A video of the party General Secretary confronting police emerged on social media where she was heard asking for a warrant to arrest her. “Warrant nikalo, order nikalo nahi toh main yahan se nahi hil rahi hoon and if you will put me in that car I will charge you with kidnapping,” she said.

In a statement, Hargaon station house officer (SHO) Brijesh Kumar Tripathi said “Total 11 persons have been arrested by us. On Monday around 4.30 am, Priyanka ji was stopped while on her way to Lakhimpur Kheri. We told her that you should not go there as the situation is not fine and section 144 CrPC is in effect. She did not listen to us and in proper security presence, we had to take her to a local guest house."

Post her detention a video of her sweeping the floor of the guest house where she was detained in Sitapur, Uttar Pradesh went viral on social media.