Priyanka Gandhi Vadra stopped by police: Congress slams UP government 

Addressing mediapesons at AICC headquarters, Mahila Congress chief Sushmita Dev asked if a special protectee like Priyanka Gandhi Vadra be treated this way by the Uttar Pradesh police, everybody could imagine what is happening to the common man.

The Congress' response comes hours after Priyanka met the wife of retired IPS officer SR Darapuri in Lucknow, who has been jailed while he was protesting against the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and National Register of Citizens (NRC).

"Like any opposition leader in the country Ms Priyanka felt it is her duty to meet the family of the people who were affected, victimised, brutally treated by the UP police in a manner worst than how criminals are treated," said Dev.

Describing the ordeal, the Mahila Congress chief further said that "suddenly police, led by a circle officer, obstructed her car in a way that it could well turned it into an accident, that the Ms Priyanka could have been involved in".

"Suddenly to stop a protectee's car in this manner without any safeguard is putting Ms Priyanka's life in danger", she charged.

Dev further said, "After that when Ms Priyanka categorically asked the UP police that what is the reason to stopping, when there are less than five people in her car, as per the section 144, she is entitled to travel".

"UP police physically manhandled Priyaka Gandhi. A female police officer pushed her around her neck in a manner that she lost her balance and fell down", Ms Dev said and added "I want to ask the Chief Minister, what does he think running in UP, is this a democratic government of the people, for the people, or it's his gundaraj is running in UP?".

The Mahila Congress chief said there after Priyanka got on to a two wheeler, and went couple of kilometers, the police again gheraod her motorcycle.

"Thereafter she walked about 8 kilometer, which took over one and half hours, and she eventually met the wife of the 84-year old ex IPS officer", she said.

"Priyanka Gandhi is a special protectee, she has the CRPF security as the entire nation knows, how can you treat her like that?" Dev asked.

She demanded an enquiry to look into the circumstances under what this happened and added that "we can well imagine what is happening to the common man in Uttar Pradesh, which has no kind of protection, is beyond doubt".