Cong leaders detained in UP ahead of rally in support of jailed law student

Congress leaders Jitin Prasada and Kaushal Mishra on Monday said they were put under house arrest ahead of a 'Nyay Yatra' in support of the jailed law student who has accused former Union minister Chinmayanand of rape.

Besides former Union minister Prasada and district Congress president Mishra, Ajay Kumar Lallu, leader of Congress Legislative Party in the UP Assembly, and senior party leader Dheeraj Gurjar were arrested and kept at the Police Lines, police sources said.

Mishra claimed authorities told him that no one would be taking out any rallies.

"SDM Sadar and CO City told me that I and Jitin Prasada have been put under house arrest. When they were asked as to why a heavy police force was deployed outside residence of Prasada, we were told that no one will be taking out any padyatra," he told PTI.

There was heavy police deployment outside the residence of Prasada from 10 in the morning.

"UP is no Kashmir yet today I am in preventive custody for simply wanting to highlight the plight of the Shahjahanpur rape victim. This BJP govt has no qualms in quashing an individual's fundamental rights," he tweeted.

Police personnel, along with the PAC, have been deployed in the district in large numbers.

Speaking to reporters in Lucknow on Sunday, Aradhana Mishra, deputy leader of the Congress Legislative Party in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, had claimed that the BJP government was helping Chinmayanand.

"The BJP government is helping Swami Chinmayanand in every possible way. It has slapped extortion charges on the woman and arrested her, so as to weaken the case against Chinmayanand. In order to ensure delivery of justice to the woman, the Congress will take out a 180-kilometre-long march from Shahjahanpur to Lucknow on Monday," she had said.

"The Congress demands that the hearing of the rape case against Chinmayanand be taken up in a fast-track court," Aradhana Mishra had said, adding that the priority of the opposition party was to ensure that justice was delivered to the woman.

"This fight will be fought by the party from the streets to the state Assembly. The fight for justice will commence from Shahjahanpur on September 30," she had said.