Clashes broke out between Congress workers and police personnel outside the party office in Lucknow on Monday as they were stopped from going to restive Sambhal.
The Congress delegation, led by Uttar Pradesh unit president Ajay Rai, was raising slogans and tried to scale barricades outside the party office, which has been cordoned off by administration following the December 24 violence.
High drama prevailed when Rai and senior Congress leader PL Punia tried to drive away in their car for a "fact-finding" visit to Sambhal. Clashes broke out between the police and party workers, who tried to clear the way for their leaders.
Rai then stepped out of his vehicle to join the workers and they sat on a dharna outside the party office in protest against the police action.
Heavy police force had been deployed and barricades put up since Sunday night around the Congress office in Lucknow's Mall Avenue area to prevent Rai and others from leaving for Sambhal, which was hit by violence during protests against a court-ordered survey.
The Congress hit out at the BJP government, saying it was trying to hide its failure with its "anti-democratic" actions. Rai, who had spent the night at the Congress office along with several party workers, later said the party delegation will visit Sambhal when prohibitory orders are lifted.
Speaking to reporters after being stopped from going to Sambhal, Rai said, "The administration has told me that prohibitory orders are in place (in Sambhal) till December 10. I had told them that our party (delegation) will go there. The administration said that before December 10, they will let us know.
"And, the day the prohibitory orders are lifted, the Congress delegation will definitely go to Sambhal."
To a question, Rai said, "They may extend the prohibitory order after December 10, as they are feeling afraid. The government is perpetrating this atrocity and injustice to hide its failures. We will definitely go to Sambhal."
In a post of X in Hindi, the Congress said, "The Congress delegation led by UP Congress President @kashikirai ji has been stopped from reaching Sambhal. This dictatorship of the UP government was strongly opposed by Congress colleagues including Ajay Rai ji."
"Our courage is not going to be broken by the arbitrariness of the government and the police. We will continue to try to establish peace in Sambhal and provide justice to the people. The struggle continues..." Before leaving for Sambhal, Rai and Punia paid tributes at the statue of Mahatma Gandhi in the party office.
The UP Congress in a post on X said, "Though the BJP government, through conspiracy and misuse of power, has prevented the Congressmen under the leadership of State President Shri @kashikirai ji to go to Sambhal, we will continue to fight against the violence that took place there due to their conspiracy!"
"The Congress Party will expose the conspiracy of the BJP behind the violence in Sambhal and bring out its true face before the public. This state cannot run at all with the slogan 'batenge to katenge'," the UP Congress said.
The party also said that the morale of its workers was intact even in the face of police action. "We are trying to reach Sambhal to establish peace. We are fighting! We will fight!" the UP Congress said.
Senior Congress leader Naseemuddin Siddiqui and former UP Congress chief Brijlal Khabri were among those who were turned back by the police.
The police had on Sunday night erected barricades outside the party's office in the state capital and the residences of its several leaders who were to accompany Rai on the Congress' planned fact-finding visit to Sambhal.
Tension has been brewing in Sambhal since November 19, when a Mughal-era mosque was surveyed on court orders following claims that a Harihar temple previously stood at the site.
Violence erupted during a second survey on November 24 as protesters gathered near Shahi Jama Masjid and clashed with security personnel. Four people died and several others were injured in the violence that ensued.
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