Chennai: Former Union Minister and senior Congress leader P Chidambaram has dubbed party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s detention as ‘totally illegal’ and claimed it has conclusively established that there is no rule of law in Uttar Pradesh as the police seem to be carrying out Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s law and his order.
In a statement, Chidambaram said the facts and circumstances concerning Gandhi’s detention in Sitapur conclusively establish that there is no rule of law in UP.
‘She was ‘arrested’ at 4.30 am on Monday, 4th October. She has been detained in the PAC guest house at Sitapur. The district collector and the judicial magistrate concerned are both stationed in Sitapur. Her arrest and detention are totally illegal and an abuse of power,’ he said.
Priyanka was detained in Sitapur early Monday on her way to Lakhimpur Kheri where eight people were killed the previous day. While four of the dead in Sunday’s incident were farmers, allegedly knocked down by vehicles driven by BJP workers travelling to welcome Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, the others included BJP workers and their driver who were allegedly lynched.
‘The arresting police officer told her she was arrested under Section 151 of the CrPC. Any person arrested under S. 151 cannot be detained for more than 24 hours, unless there is an order of the judicial magistrate under any other provision of law,’ Chidambaram said.