Jharkhand Congress workers on way to Kheri stopped at UP border

Thakur said that no senior UP police officer was present at the border but the UP police personnel present there prevented them from going further claiming that Section 144 was effective in Sonbhadra district

Jharkhand Congress workers led by state chief Rajesh Thakur en route to Lakhimpur Kheri from Ranchi were stopped at Windhamganj on UP-Jharkhand border in the early hours on Thursday.

Jharkhand Congress chief said party workers from the state were stopped by UP police from proceeding towards Lakhimpur Kheri (HT Photo)

“We want to go to Lakhimpur Kheri to meet the aggrieved families of the farmers. We also want to meet our leader Priyanka Gandhi Ji and Rahul Gandhi Ji. But, the police personnel are not allowing us to go to Lakhimpur Kheri. We have been stopped by a heavy police force deployed by the UP government at the border,” Rajesh Thakur said on Thursday.

Utttar Pradesh government on Wednesday allowed Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi to travel to Lakhimpur Kheri and meet the families of the farmers mowed down on Sunday evening by a convoy of vehicles linked to Union minister of state Ajay Kumar Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra. Priyanka and Rahul had earlier been denied permission by the administration and the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party had criticised Congress leaders for politicising the Kheri incident.

Thakur said that no senior UP police officer was present at the border but the UP police personnel present there prevented them from going further claiming that Section 144 was effective in Sonbhadra district, however, they could not show any official letter to confirm the claim. Section 144 prohibits assembly of 4 or more people at a public place.

Thakur said he urged the policemen to “either arrest us or let us go to Lakhimpur Kheri. You cannot stop us without any authority and reason”.