Sidhu, several Pun ministers, MLAs detained at UP border for hours

Meerut: Punjab Congress chief Navjot Singh Sidhu was taken into preventive custody on Thursday afternoon in Saharanpur district, close to the UP-Haryana border, while he was leading thousands of party workers to Lakhimpur Kheri. After over six hours of detention, police allowed Sidhu and 20 others to proceed to Lakhimpur Kheri, where they wanted to meet the family members of farmers who were run over by a vehicle during a protest march.

Earlier in the day, the convoy of hundreds of vehicles, cars and SUVs coming from Mohali and carrying Congress workers and scores of state ministers, came to a halt at Saharanpur border, where a cordon of policemen in riot gear had blocked the highway with barricades.

Senior police and administrative officers, including ADG Saharanpur range and divisional commissioner were also at the check-post.

After over two hours of melee in which Congress workers jostled with security personnel to remove the barricades, Sidhu and scores of Congressmen were detained and taken to nearby Sarsawa Air Force station in police vans.

Reacting to it, Sidhu said, “I do not understand why we are being stopped. We are not protesting here, though protest is our fundamental right. We just want to go to Lakhimpur Kheri. This government has become autocratic.”

Senior superintendent of police (SSP) of Saharanpur, S Chanappa, said, “All those who had come here have been stopped in a peaceful manner. We are talking to their representatives.”

About six hours later, at 9 pm, Preetinder Singh, DIG of Saharanpur, said, “We have given permission for four vehicles. Occupants will include a few Punjab government ministers, MLAs. Around 300 vehicles that had accompanied this delegation have been sent back.”

The cricketer-turned-politician had announced the march a day earlier. He had written on Twitter, “If, by tomorrow, the Union Minister’s son behind the brutal murder of farmers is not arrested, and our leader @PriyankaGandhi being unlawfully arrested, fighting for farmers is not released, the Punjab Congress will march towards Lakhimpur Kheri!”

Meanwhile, the motorcade of former Haryana chief minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda was also stopped at Shamli. Hooda along with Congress state chief of Haryana Kumari Selja were going to Lakhimpur Kheri. Later, local police permitted five people to go ahead, triggering a protest. Hooda sat on a dharna protesting the ‘diktat’. “There is a complete ‘goondaraj’ in UP and the government is showing a dictatorial attitude. We demand immediate dismissal of the accused minister,” he said. Later, Hooda returned to Haryana.