Gorakhpur incident: Priyanka, Mayawati, Akhilesh attack Uttar Pradesh govt

The three leaders criticised the Uttar Pradesh government and demanded justice for the family of the Kanpur-based businessman who died following a police raid on his hotel room in Gorakhpur

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav have criticised the Uttar Pradesh government over the death of a Kanpur-based businessman following a police raid on his hotel room in Gorakhpur.

Priyanka said the Gorakhpur incident has led to the creation of an atmosphere of fear in the state (HT file)

In a tweet in Hindi, Priyanka said the incident has led to the creation of an atmosphere of fear in the state. She alleged that in the “prevailing jungle rule”, the police were soft towards criminals and barbaric with the common man.

A Congress spokesperson said that Priyanka Gandhi Vadra spoke with the family members of the victim Manish Gupta over the phone.

Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) spokesman Pankaj Tiwari, in a press statement, said the Congress would fight to get justice to the family of the Kanpur businessman. He said a high-level probe should be conducted.

Mayawati demanded justice for the family of Manish Gupta. In a series of tweets, the BSP chief said the incident exposes the BJP government’s claims about law and order. The state government should take such incidents seriously and ensure effective measures to check their recurrence, she said.

Akhilesh Yadav, in a tweet, flayed the incident and said that it was an outcome of the “police encounter culture” that the BJP government gave birth to. He demanded that all the accused be tried for murder.