Priyanka Gandhi Sonbhadra Visit LIVE: Congress Leader Ends Dharna, Says My Mission Is Accomplished

Background

Priyanka Gandhi Sonbhadra Visit: Hours after being detained by Uttar Pradesh Police on Friday in Mirzapur, Congress East Uttar Pradesh General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi is till adamant to meet the families of victims who were reportedly shot dead earlier this week in land dispute case. Refusing to furnish a personal bond, Gandhi stayed put at a guesthouse in Mirzapur district where she was taken after she squatted on the road with her supporters, insisting that she be allowed to proceed and meet the victims' families. Detention of the Priyanka Gandhi leader has triggered a political slugfest between Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Uttar Pradesh government and the Congress.

In a late-night tweet, she said she is ready to go to jail if she is not allowed to go ahead. The district magistrate and the superintendent of police were talking with her at the guesthouse in Chunar to persuade her against travelling ahead, Deputy Inspector General Piyush Kumar Srivastava told PTI. Chunar sub divisional magistrate Satya Prakash said Gandhi was under preventive detention and had refused to furnish a personal bond.

On Twitter, the Congress general secretary said she had been under arrest for the past nine hours. She claimed that the administration has told her that she will be sent to jail for 14 days if she doesn't furnish a bail bond of Rs 50,000. She said she considered paying bail immoral in this situation. If the government wants to put me in jail for the crime of meeting victims, I am totally prepared for that, Gandhi tweeted in Hindi.

She was stopped at Narainpur on the Varanasi-Mirzapur road while she was heading towards Sonbhadra. Action has been taken against 151 CrPC and Priyanka Gandhi and other members of the Congress have been stopped from proceeding to Sonbhadra, where prohibitory orders have been promulgated," Mirzapur District Magistrate Anurag Patel told PTI. The Congress leader will not be allowed to proceed for apprehension of breach of peace. If she decides to stay back here we will extend security to her," the DM said.

ADG Varanasi, Commissnor Varanasi division and other senior Police & Govt officials leaving Chunar Qila at 1.15 am pic.twitter.com/ceyk4Rg2k0

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) July 19, 2019

Various Congress leaders including Priyanka's brother Rahul Gandhi, who has resigned as the Congress president, called the police action illegal arrest. As Congress leaders came out in Gandhi's support and party workers held protests against the UP government, Trinamool Congress announced in New Delhi that it too planned to send a delegation to Sonbhadra on Saturday.

मैंने यह स्पष्ट करते हुए कि मैं किसी धारा का उल्लंघन करने नहीं बल्कि पीड़ितों से मिलने आयी थी सरकार के दूतों से कहा है कि बग़ैर मिले मैं यहाँ से वापस नहीं जाऊँगी।

— Priyanka Gandhi Vadra (@priyankagandhi) July 19, 2019

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has blamed the previous Congress governments for the dispute that triggered Wednesday's violence, narrating how the piece of land over which the clash took place was bought and sold over the decades. Promising justice, he announced in the state assembly that a sub-divisional magistrate and four policemen have been suspended. Twenty-nine people were arrested, he said.

Ten people were killed and 28 injured in the clash between supporters of a village headman, Yagya Dutt, and the Gond tribals in Sonbhadra district's Ghorawal area on Wednesday. Dutt's supporters allegedly opened fire on the tribals.

13:24 PM (IST)  •  20 Jul 2019

Family member of a victim of Sonbhadra firing incident: We got to know that Priyanka didi has come to meet us, but administration has arrested her & taken her to a place where no one can meet her. So, we decided to come & meet her in Chunar. pic.twitter.com/Z50cdgrkzg

— ANI UP (@ANINewsUP) July 20, 2019

13:23 PM (IST)  •  20 Jul 2019

Finally after 20 hours of high octane political slugfest, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi has ended her protest against killings of tribals in Sonbhadra land dispute. She said that as she met victims families, her mission is accomplished. The Congress party also announced that Rs 10 lakh would be given to each victim's families.

13:16 PM (IST)  •  20 Jul 2019

The massacre in Sonbhadra shows deeply casteist faultlines that still prevail. This incident reveals how people from the most powerless sections are first victims to the lawless & disruptive elements of our society. The Atrocities Act is put in place to take PREVENTIVE measures from such unjust massacres from taking place. As per law, had the UP govt taken proactive measures to protect the tribal community, this mass murder could have easily been prevented: Jignesh Mevani on Twitter

13:15 PM (IST)  •  20 Jul 2019

Family members of the victims of Sonbhadra's firing case come to meet Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Garu at Chunar Guest House. #PriyankaFightsForPeople#SonbhadraMassacre pic.twitter.com/BtGcuuasCJ

— INC Andhra Pradesh (@INC_Andhra) July 20, 2019

13:11 PM (IST)  •  20 Jul 2019

Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal has requested the state bodies to protest against illegal stopping of Priyanka Gandhi by UP govt when she went to meet the victims of Sonbhadra massacre through dharna. (Below attached is the letter from Congress leader)