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Lakhimpur Kheri Violence: Internet to be suspended for 12 hours in Sitapur
The internet suspension comes ahead of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's attempt to visit Lakhimpur Kheri where eight people, including four farmers, died on Sunday.
A twelve-hour suspension of the internet will be imposed in Sitapur, the Uttar Pradesh Police said on Wednesday. The development comes ahead of Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s attempt to visit Lakhimpur Kheri to meet the kin of eight people, including four protesting farmers, who died after being run over by an SUV on Sunday.
Earlier today, Congress claimed internet services have been suspended in Sitapur district of Uttar Pradesh where Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has been detained.
“The terrified UP govt has switched off the internet in Sitapur, where Smt. @priyankagandhi has been illegally held for over 48 hours. The dictatorial BJP rule in the Centre & state is trying to crush the voice of the Opposition. They will not succeed. We will not deter,” the party had tweeted.
Meanwhile, in a press conference, Rahul Gandhi said that he will visit the Lakhimpur Kheri today with two chief ministers — Charanjit Singh Channi and Bhupesh Bhagel — to take stock of the incident and to meet the kin of the deceased. However, Lucknow police commissioner DK Thakur had informed that Gandhi did not have the permission to visit the area.
“If Gandhi arrives in Lucknow, we’ll request him at the airport not to visit Lakhimpur Kheri and Sitapur. The SP and DM of the two towns have urged us to stop him from coming in the wake of the law and order situation,” Thakur told reporters.
According to reports, internet services were also shut in Bahraich for a few hours on Wednesday morning when the last of the deceased farmers was being cremated but was restored later. Internet services were suspended in Lakhimpur Kheri between 8.30pm on October 3 till 6pm on Tuesday.
Security has been tightened and police barricades have been erected along Sitapur Lakhimpur highway to prevent any political groups from entering Lakhimpur. The Uttar Pradesh government has also deployed police to stop opposition leaders from travelling to Tikunia, about 70 km away from the district headquarters of Lakhimpur Kheri.
A 29-second video of Sunday’s violence surfaced in which an SUV could be seen ploughing through protesting farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri, killing eight people in total. The SUV reportedly belonged to the convoy of minister of state for home Ajay Mishra who was travelling to receive Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya to an event in the area.
