Several Congress leaders and activists were detained by Uttar Pradesh Police after they tried to lay siege to the Vidhan Sabha in Lucknow on Wednesday. One party worker died due to injuries as the protesters clashed with police during their march to the assembly.
The deceased has been identified as Prabhat Pandey, a Congress activist from Gorakhpur.
The party had announced its intent to lay siege to the legislature against the ‘Kumbhakarni’ (sleeping) government of Yogi Adityanath. Several Congress workers had gathered at the party headquarters since Tuesday.
“We are protesting against this failed government, this insensitive and anti-people government," state Congress president Ajay Rai said.
The state’s police had been on high alert since Tuesday. The Congress office-bearers claimed that many workers had been arrested from the railway station and bus stands to prevent them from reaching the party office.
The protesters led by Rai and All India Congress Committee general secretary Avinash Pandey, who is responsible for the state, marched towards the Vidhan Sabha in the afternoon and were stopped by heavy police barricades. While Rai and some workers broke through the stops, they were once again confronted by the police. Women party workers threw bangles at the police thus symbolically accusing it of cowardice.
The police had earlier tried to unsuccessfully prevent Pandey from leaving the hotel where he was staying. Congress workers had threatened to march to the hotel if Pandey was not allowed to go to the party office—a stone’s throw away.
After some struggle, both Rai and Pandey were arrested and taken to temporary detention at the capital’s Eco Garden. Former UPCC president Ajay Kumar Lallu was also among those arrested.
Rai had earlier accused the state government of not discussing the problems of the people and being cowardly. He also said that the party would continue its Gandhian ways of protest against the government which was only invested in spreading hatred and animosity. He also accused the government of being antagonistic to every section of society—be it youth, women or Dalits.