Jayant stopped from visiting victims’ families

Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) leader Jayant Chaudhary on Wednesday criticised the state government for what he said amounted to ‘unnecessarily aggravating the situation’ by imposing Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) and not allowing Opposition leaders to visit the families of the victims and those injured in Friday’s violence during anti-CAA protests.

The RLD leader on Wednesday said he was prevented from visiting the families of those killed or injured in Friday’s violence in Muzaffarnagar and Meerut.

Chaudhary took the Ganga Canal road from Muradnagar in Ghaziabad district while coming from Delhi in a bid to reach the victims’ homes in Muzaffarnagar on Wednesday. However, the police and the district administration stopped him at Khatauli in Muzaffarnagar.

Hundreds of RLD supporters also arrived there and criticised the police for stopping him. They shouted slogans against the police and the administration.

He then moved towards Meerut but stopped before the toll plaza as police didn’t allow him to go further to visit the families of the victims.

Chaudhary said he would again attempt to meet the victims’ families on Thursday.

He said there were no curbs on BJP MPs and leaders but “restrictions have been imposed on us in the garb of section 144”.

Earlier, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were stopped on the outskirts of Meerut on Monday and they were not allowed to visit the families of the victims.