Nearly 100 Congress workers detained in UP’s Banda

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Around 100 Congress workers trying to take out a protest march against the “mismanagement” of state-run cow shelters were detained here on Thursday for allegedly violating prohibitory orders, police said.

The Congress is taking out ‘Gai Bachao, Kisan Bachao’ yatra in the districts of the Bundelkhand region. The party has claimed that the alleged mismanagement of the state-run cow shelters has resulted in deaths of cattle in the recent past.

Around 100 Congress workers were taken into custody from near the Ken river bridge in Bhuragarh area for violating prohibitory orders, Circle Officer (city), Banda, Alok Mishra said.

Congress leaders claimed the police took into custody senior leaders including state unit vice president Yogesh Dixit, general secretary Rahul Rai, secretary Abhimanyu Singh, district president Rajesh Dixit, district president of women’s unit Seema Khan as soon as they arrived to take part in the yatra.

After detaining the first batch of 70 to 80 senior leaders and party workers, the police also took into custody the workers who subsequently arrived in groups to join the yatra, former Banda unit Congress president Saket Bihari Mishra said.

All those taken into custody have been sent to different police stations, he said.

Congress district unit president Rajesh Dixit alleged that cows are dying of starvation in the state-run cow shelters and the government has no concern for them.

“The Congress leaders who are raising their voice for saving cows are being arrested,” he said.

The development comes a day after several Congress workers and leaders were taken into custody for taking out a ‘Gai Bachao, Kisan Bachao’ yatra in Mahoba district without permission. They were released later in the night.

According to a report from Mahoba, an FIR has been lodged against Congress leaders and workers for taking out the protest march without permission.

Circle Officer, Mahoba, Kalu Singh said the FIR was lodged on Wednesday night against 90 named and 300 unnamed Congress workers at Kabrai police station. Former union minister Pradip Jain Aditya and district unit president Tulsidas Lodhi are among those booked.

The Congress leaders tried to take out the yatra without permission, violating Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC), and gathered crowds in Kabrai area. They did not follow the government’s COVID-19 guidelines and clashed with the police when they were stopped, he said.

The officer said no arrests have been made so far in the case.

Last week, Uttar Pradesh Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu and 50 party workers were arrested in Lalitpur district after they tried to take out the yatra without permission, according to the police.

During the yatras in Mahoba and Lalitpur, the Congress alleged, the police resorted to baton charge on party workers. The police, however, denied the use of force.