NEW DELHI: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was detained on Friday by the Uttar Pradesh police when she was on her way to meet the family members of those who were killed in firing over a land dispute on July 17 in Sonbhadra.
Priyanka sat on a 'dharna' along with party workers when she was stopped by the cops in Mirzapur. She was subsequently picked up by the District Magistrate and taken to an unknown location.
Priyanka was also scheduled to visit the place of the incident where 10 people were killed in the firing and 19 were injured.
"I only want to meet the affected families, whose members have been mercilessly shot dead. A boy of my son's age was shot at and is lying in the hospital. Tell me on what legal basis I am stopped here," Priyanka Gandhi told reporters.
Earlier in the day, she visited the victims of Sonbhadra massacre at the Banaras Hindu University (BHU) Trauma Centre in Varanasi.
Taking to Twitter, she had said, "In the BJP ruled state, the confidence of criminals is so high that broad day-light killings are continuously happening. The killing of 9 Gond tribesmen, including 3 women, by the land mafia in Umbha village of Sonbhadra is heart-wrenching. Administration and Chief Minister are all sleeping. Is this how the state will be crime-free?"
The incident took place in Ubbha village of Ghorawal where the village head went to take possession of his land purchased two years ago. However, he met with opposition from the villagers which triggered the firing allegedly by his aides leading to the deaths.
"Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took cognisance of the incident and expressed his condolences to the families of the deceased. He directed the district magistrate of Sonbhadra to provide immediate medical attention to the injured," a statement from the Chief Minister's Office had stated.
Besides asking the Director General of Police (DGP) to personally monitor the case, Adityanath had told the officer to ensure effective action to catch the culprits.
Five people were arrested on July 18 in connection with the case.
(With inputs from ANI)