No notice, no FIR copy for 38 hours: Priyanka after arrest

Sitapur/ New Delhi: Over 24 hours after keeping her at a local guest house, the Sitapur police on Tuesday officially arrested Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi and at least 10 others, to "prevent the commission of cognizable offences".

Priyanka had been stopped on her way to Lakhimpur Kheri, where eight people died after a car owned by Union MoS Home Ajay Mishra allegedly ran over protesting farmers, triggering a clash and countrywide outrage.

The case under Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) Sections 151, 107, 116 (all related to preventive detention due to apprehension of breach of peace) has also been registered against Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu and party leader Deependra Hooda, officials said.

"These are preventive sections. Once we get assurance that there would not be violation of peace by them these sections will be removed," Sitapur Sub-divisional Magistrate Pyare Lal Maurya said.

Priyanka alleged that the Uttar Pradesh police has not communicated the circumstances or the sections under which she has been charged, 38 hours after she was initially detained. She released a statement claiming that she has not been produced in front of a Magistrate and has also not been allowed to meet legal counsel.

Earlier in the day, Priyanka issued a video statement addressed to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is on a Lucknow visit, and asked if he had seen a video purportedly of the Lakhimpur incident. She then played the video, which shows what appears to be a Mahindra Thar coming from behind and running over a group of protestors walking on a road. Hooda put out a tweet, saying they are under arrest for the past 36 hours while those running over farmers are roaming free.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Bhupesh Baghel was prevented from coming out of Lucknow's Chaudhary Charan Singh Airport on Tuesday when he arrived to visit the state Congress office and meet Priyanka Gandhi.

Baghel sat on a dharna at the airport after being disallowed to go to the Uttar Pradesh Congress office amid widespread protest over the Lakhimpur Kheri violence.

"I am being stopped from going out of Lucknow airport without any orders," he wrote in a tweet with a photo of him sitting on the floor at the airport.

The Chhattisgarh Chief Minister reasoned with the police on duty as to why he was being stopped but to no avail, a Congress spokesman said.

"Why am I being stopped? I am not going to Lakhimpur where there are prohibitory orders in place. I am only going to PCC (Congress office)," he asked the police personnel.

Several Congress leaders, including P Chidambaram, have questioned her detention, describing it as "totally illegal" and "unconstitutional".

In an interview to a private channel, Union Minister of State Ajay Mishra, whose son Ashish has been named in the police complaint, said that the vehicle was seen running over farmers, allegedly triggering the clashes, was indeed his. However, the minister said neither he nor his son was present at the spot when the incident happened.

"From Day 1, we have been clear that the [Mahindra] Thar is ours, which is registered in our name.

And the vehicle was going to receive someone after picking up our workers. Our son was at another venue. From 11 am till the evening, he was organising another event. My son was present there, there were thousands there. There are photos and videos. If you take out his call records and CDR, location... can check all. Thousands of people are willing to give an affidavit also that Ashish Mishra was there."

Meanwhile, the mortal remains of three of the farmers, were cremated at their native places on Tuesday, while the family of the fourth one demanded a second post-mortem. Bahraich Additional Superintendent of Police (Rural) Ashok Kumar was quoted as saying by a national news agency: "A decision on the demand for a second post mortem could be taken only by senior officials."

The families of Lavpreet Singh (19), Nachattar Singh (65) and Daljeet Singh (42) agreed to the cremation after hours of negotiations involving police officials and farmer leader Rakesh Tikait. But the family of Gurvinder Singh (22) of Matera tehsil refused to cremate him till a second autopsy is done and alleged that he was shot dead.