Priyanka Gandhi Vadra detained on her way to Sonbhadra

Mirzapur: Congress General Secretary for Uttar Pradesh East Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was on Friday taken into custody by the UP police in Varanasi's Narayanpur, neighbouring the Mirzapur border, after she was stopped on her way to Sonbhadra to meet the people affected in the recent violence which occurred over a land dispute.

Ms Vadra had gone to Varanasi to visit the people injured in the firing that took place during a property dispute in Sonbhadra. After meeting the injured at the BHU hospital, she left for Sonbhadra but her convoy was stopped by the police some distance away from the Dalhat police station in Varanasi's Narayanpur.

Security forces did not permit her to go further stating that Section 144 had been imposed in Sonbhadra and while opposing this, she also had an argument with the officials. Ms Vadra asked the police official to show the papers with respect to her being stopped upon which the official said that the papers were coming. 

Later, the Congress General Secretary sat on a protest while police officials reportedly requested her to end the same. 

Congress leader Ajay Kumar Lallu was also present with Ms Vadra. The police official requested her to stop the 'dharna' but after she refused to do the same, both Ms Vadra and Mr Lallu were taken into custody.

Notably, 10 people were killed during a firing which took place over a property dispute at the Umbha village of the Ghorawal area of the Sonbhadra district in UP on Wednesday. 27 people, including the Gram Pradhan have so far been arrested in this connection. 

All the opposition parties in the state including Congress, Samajwadi Party (SP), Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and RLD have also denounced the incident and expressed concern for the deteriorating law and order situation in the state.(UNI)