Noida: Over 500 Congress workers booked for protest on DND Flyway

Noida Police has registered a case against 502 Congress party workers for protesting on the DND Flyway on Saturday during the Covid-19 pandemic.

Noida Police has registered a case against 502 Congress party workers for protesting on the DND Flyway on Saturday during the Covid-19 pandemic.

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The party workers had gathered to support Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and her brother former party chief Rahul Gandhi who were going to meet the family of the Hathras gangrape victim.

RK Singh, station house officer of Sector 20 police station, said a case has been registered against two named – Congress Gautam Budh Nagar district president Manoj Chaudhury and Noida Congress presidentShahabuddin, and 500 unnamed Congress party workers under Indian penal codes sections 188 (disobedience to order duly promulgated by public servant) and 269 (negligent act likely to spread infection of disease dangerous to life), among others and the Epidemic Diseases Act, 1897.

Chaudhury, however, said he was not at the DND Flyway as police had had him under house arrest on Saturday. Shahabuddin said that he had attended the protest on Saturday. “We had gathered to demand justice for the gang-rape victim. The government is scared of the Congress party and hence they have filed an FIR against us,” he said.

Police said they are investigating Chaudhary’s claim of being under house arrest.

In the FIR, SHO RK Singh, who is also the complainant, said that around 500 Congress party workers had gathered at the DND Flyway without informing the police and protested against the Uttar Pradesh government. “The protesters were informed by police that visiting Hathras in large numbers will affect law and order situation, but they did not agree to leave. The party workers did not follow Covid–19 guidelines, and a large number of them were without masks. They also flouted social distancing norms. Section 144 (prohibitory orders) of CrPc was in force in the district at the time and was violated,” he said. Singh added that to ensure peace and enforcement of law and order situation, the police did not arrest any Congress leader/worker on Saturday.

Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi had reached the DND Flyway with a number of party workers at 3pm. After much negotiation, five persons -- including the Gandhi siblings were allowed police to cross DND Flyway and meet the kin of victim who was gang-raped and murdered. This was their second attempt to meet the victim’s family. On Thursday, Noida Police had detained as they were walking to Hathras after their vehicles were stopped.