Cases registered over CEC protests ‘baseless’: UP Congress

Addressing a press conference, UP Congress president Ajay Rai said, “No worker engaged in any irresponsible behaviour. There were no scuffles, no vandalism, no obstruction of official work and no damage to police vehicles or public property. Despite this, during Monday’s protests against Gyanesh Kumar across various districts, serious criminal charges were filed against Congress workers. In Agra specifically, cases were registered under grave sections such as attempt to murder, voluntarily causing hurt and rioting.”

Uttar Pradesh Congress on Tuesday dismissed as “baseless” the cases registered against party workers following protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar on Monday.

UP Congress president Ajay Rai and others during the press conference on Tuesday. (Sourced)

Addressing a press conference, UP Congress president Ajay Rai said, “No worker engaged in any irresponsible behaviour. There were no scuffles, no vandalism, no obstruction of official work and no damage to police vehicles or public property. Despite this, during Monday’s protests against Gyanesh Kumar across various districts, serious criminal charges were filed against Congress workers. In Agra specifically, cases were registered under grave sections such as attempt to murder, voluntarily causing hurt and rioting.”

Rai alleged that police assaulted party workers during the Agra protest and filed fabricated FIRs invoking serious sections of the BNS, despite no such incident having taken place. “I challenge the government to examine CCTV footage from nearby homes to verify the facts. The government should review the CCTV footage to see if workers actually entered homes or if anyone was injured,” he said.

“I challenge the government to produce the CCTV footage if it has the courage to do so,” Rai said at the press conference, which was also attended by national spokesperson Abhay Dubey, CP Rai and Priyanka Gupta.

Rai said the Congress stood firmly with workers who had been jailed by the police on what he called false charges and would provide them legal assistance.

Rai also alleged that Gyanesh Kumar was “systematically conspiring” to delete voters’ names nationwide to benefit the BJP. He alleged that the names of poor people and slum dwellers were being removed. “While the Election Commission’s mandate is to conduct fair and transparent elections, Gyanesh Kumar is consistently deleting votes to benefit the BJP. He is acting entirely like an agent of a single party, working to further the BJP’s interests,” he alleged.