Priyanka Gandhi Vadra arrested by UP police; likely to be produced before Magistrate soon

After Priyanka Gandhi Vadra complained that she is under illegal detention, it has been confirmed that she was formally arrested by the Uttar Pradesh police. An FIR was registered against her and 10 others including Rajya Sabha MP Deepender Singh Hooda and UP Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu for "disturbing peace". As per sources, she was taken into custody under Section 151 (arrest to prevent the commission of cognizable offences) of the Code of Criminal Procedure. Reportedly, the PAC guest house in Sitapur is being used as a temporary jail to house her. She is likely to be produced before a magistrate soon, sources added.

Congress cries foul over Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's arrest

Vadra was detained in the early hours of Monday by the police at Hargaon, as she proceeded towards Lakhimpur-Kheri to meet the families of the 4 farmers who lost their lives in the Lakhimpur violence on October 3. In a video shared by Congress before her detention, Vadra was heard telling the police officials, "If you forcibly take me in this van, you will be kidnapping me. Go and get a warrant before you arrest me. There may be no law and order in this state, but it is there in this country". 

Taking to Twitter earlier in the day, the Congress general secretary cried foul over detention and slammed the Uttar Pradesh police for not arresting any person in connection with the death of the farmers. Backing his sister, ex-Congress president Rahul Gandhi remarked, "The person whom you have kept in detention doesn't get scared. She is a true Congress worker and will not give up. The satyagraha will not stop". At present, hundreds of party leaders are protesting outside the guest house where she is lodged.

Weighing in on this development, Rajya Sabha MP P Chidambaram dubbed her detention "illegal" and "utterly shameful". To buttress his point, the senior Congress leader contended that Vadra was arrested before sunrise by a male police officer and not presented before a judicial magistrate within 24 hours. He opined, "Several provisions of the law have been violated. Law and order seems to have a different meaning in Uttar Pradesh. Law means Adityanath's law and order means Adityanath's order. It's a gross violation of her constitutional rights".