TMC & RLD Leaders Were Allowed To Visit Lakhimpur, Congress Have Same Rights: Deepender Singh Hooda

Hooda hit out at the Uttar Pradesh government for not producing them before a magistrate within 24 hours of their arrest and asked as to why none have been allowed to meet them in custody.

Congress MP Deepender Hooda during his visit to a village. (PTI Photo)

New Delhi: Asserting that the Trinamool Congress (TMC) and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) were allowed to visit violence-hit Lakhimpur Kheri, Congress leader Deepender Singh Hooda on Tuesday said the grand old party leaders also have the same rights.

Hooda hit out at the Uttar Pradesh government for not producing them before a magistrate within 24 hours of their arrest and asked as to why none have been allowed to meet them in custody.

“We (including Priyanka Gandhi) are in custody in Sitapur police lines for about last 40 hours. No one is allowed to meet us. If we're in police custody, we should have been produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, which has not happened,” he said.

READ: Priyanka Gandhi Arrested After FIR Filed Against Her & Other Congress Leaders For 'Disturbing Peace'

Hooda also demanded that a sitting judge should investigate the Lakhimpuri Kheri incident where eight people were killed after violence erupted on Sunday.

“We demand that a sitting judge should investigate the matter, the MoS Home should resign and more financial assistance should be provided to the kin of all victims,” he said, ANI reported.

Hooda, who was detained along with other Congress leaders in Sitapur en route to Lakhimpur Kheri to meet the family members of the deceased farmers, also hit out at the police for not sharing the FIR filed against them.

“We were told that we were arrested under Section 151 of the IPC, under which police can't detain us for more than 24 hours. Through media, we got to know that an FIR has been filed against us but the police are not sharing anything with us,” he said.

The Uttar Pradesh Police earlier in the day justified its action and said that Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and other leaders of the grand old party were arrested after an FIR was them for “disturbing peace”.

The SHO of Hargaon Police Station in Sitapur district said that an FIR has been registered against 11 people, including Priyanka Gandhi, Deependra Singh Hooda and Ajay Kumar Lallu, for disturbing peace.

According to ABP News inputs, the Congress general secretary has been arrested under Sections 151,107,116 and the PAC guest house has been converted as a temporary jail for her.

The FIR stated that she was arrested at 4:30 am on Monday and not detained. The SHO of Hargaon Police Station had also sent challan 151 to the magistrate after that.

The Congress workers have been holding a massive sit-in protest outside the Sitapur PAC guest house where she was detained earlier on Monday.

The Uttar Pradesh government has restricted everyone to visit the site as Section 144 had been imposed in the area on Sunday night.