Priyanka detained on way to Sonbhadra, Cong says 'illegal arrest'

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was Friday detained and stopped from going to Sonbhadra where 10 people were gunned down this week, escalating the political slugfest over the killings there in a land dispute.

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.

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.

But the standoff showed no sign of ending till late night.

Uttar Pradesh Congress Legislature Party leader Ajay Kumar Lallu, who was with her at the guesthouse, told PTI, "We have clearly said, either let us meet the victims or send us to jail."
Terming the action against his sister "illegal arrest", Rahul Gandhi said, "This arbitrary application of power reveals the BJP government's increasing insecurity in UP."
Asked to comment, UP Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma told reporters, "Whether it is the ruling party or the opposition, everyone's collective responsibility is to ensure that the situation does not aggravate further."