NEW DELHI: Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra met with victims of the recent violence in Sambhal in Delhi on Friday, a week after they were stopped by police from visiting the region.
Congress, sharing photos of the meeting on X, said, “Today Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress General Secretary and MP Priyanka Gandhi met the victims of Sambhal.
“The incident in Sambhal is the ill-effects of BJP’s hate politics and is fatal for a peaceful society. Together we have to defeat this violent and hateful mentality with love and brotherhood. We stand with all the victims and will fight to get them justice,” the party’s post read.
The meeting comes days after Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were stopped from entering Sambhal on November 24 while en route to assess the situation following violent clashes in the area.
Expressing his frustration at being turned back, Rahul Gandhi called the police’s actions unconstitutional, saying, “It is my right to go, and I am ready to go alone. We only want to witness what happened there and meet the people. However, my constitutional right is being denied.”
Referring to the broader implications, the leader of opposition in the Lok Sabha accused the ruling party of undermining democratic principles, saying, “This is ‘naya Hindustan,’ where attempts are being made to end Ambedkarji’s Constitution. But we will keep fighting.”
The unrest in Sambhal erupted on November 19 when authorities conducted a survey of a Mughal-era mosque following judicial orders tied to claims of a Harihar temple once existing at the site. Tensions escalated further during a second survey on November 24 near the Shahi Jama Masjid, culminating in violent clashes between protesters and security forces.
The violence left at least five people dead and dozens injured, including over 20 police personnel. The court-ordered survey was initiated after senior advocate Vishnu Shanker Jain filed a petition claiming the mosque was originally a temple.
