Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has spoken to some members of families of victims of Lakhimpur Kheri violence over the phone while being in detention of Uttar Pradesh police, party leader Deepender Singh Hooda has said.
"Priyanka Gandhi has today spoken to some family members of the victims over the phone. We have permission of using phones. Physically we are not allowed to go but on call we have sympathised with them," Hooda told .
Hooda also said that he and other party leaders on a visit to violence-hit Lakhimpur Kheri got to know through media that an FIR has been filed against them and police was not sharing anything with them.
Hooda said that party leader Priyanka Gandhi has been in custody in Sitapur police lines for about the last 40 hours and no one is being allowed to meet them.
He said they should have been produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, which has not happened.
The Congress MP said they were told that they were arrested under Section 151 of IPC, under which police can't detain them for more than 24 hours.
"Through media, we got to know that an FIR has been filed against us but the police are not sharing anything with us," he said.
"We (including Priyanka Gandhi) are in custody in Sitapur police lines for about the last 40 hours. No one is allowed to meet us. If we're in police custody, we should have been produced before a magistrate within 24 hours, which has not happened," he added.
He demanded a probe by a sitting judge into the violence in Lakhimpur Kheri and said they were being kept in custody to prevent them from meeting the families of victims while leaders of some other parties like Trinamool Congress and RLD had been allowed to visit Lakhimpur.
Hooda said Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra Teni should resign over the violence in which eight persons died on Sunday and more financial assistance should be provided to the kin of all victims.
An FIR was registered against 11 people including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, Deependra Hooda and Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Kumar Lallu "for disturbing peace", Hargaon Police station SHO Brijesh Tripathi had told the media earlier today.
Eight people including four farmers had died in the violence in the Lakhimpur Kheri district in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, police had said.
Samyukta Kisan Morcha has alleged that son of Ajay Mishra Teni was involved in the violence that led to the death of four farmers. However, both the Union Minister of State and his son have refuted SKM's allegations.
However, both the Union Minister and his son have refuted SKM's allegations.
( With inputs from ANI )
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