Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and his sister Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met families affected by the Sambhal mosque violence on Tuesday evening. The meeting took place at 10 Janpath, Delhi, the residence of their mother, Sonia Gandhi.
The Uttar Pradesh government last week denied the Congress leaders permission to visit Sambhal district to meet the victims' families.
Stopped at Ghazipur border
On December 4, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were stopped by police at the Ghazipur border between Delhi and Uttar Pradesh while trying to travel to Sambhal.
Rahul Gandhi expressed frustration, saying that as Leader of Opposition, it was his right to visit Sambhal. "I even offered to travel alone or with police escort, but they refused. This violates the rights of the LoP and goes against the Constitution. We only wanted to meet the people and understand what happened," he said, criticising the move as unconstitutional.
Tension in Sambhal
Sambhal has been tense since November 19, following a court-ordered survey of a Mughal-era mosque after claims that a Harihar temple once existed at the site.
Violence erupted on November 24 during the survey’s second day, with clashes breaking out near the Shahi Jama Masjid. Four people lost their lives, and many others were injured.
To maintain order, restrictions under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita have been extended in Sambhal until December 31.
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