Cong protests against cops manhandling Priyanka Gandhi

The youth wing of the Congress on Sunday staged a demonstration near the Uttar Pradesh Bhawan in New Delhi against police "manhandling" party general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra in Lucknow and demanded the resignation of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

>Thirty-five protesters, including two women, were detained by Delhi Police personnel as soon as they tried to march towards the UP Bhawan from the nearby Assam Bhawan in south Delhi's Chanakyapuri area.

"Thirty-three men and two women protesters were detained and taken to Mandir Marg and Connaught place police stations. They were subsequently released," said Deputy Commissioner of Police (New Delhi) Eish Singhal.

Indian Youth Congress president Srinivas BV, who led the protesters, said the Uttar Pradesh chief minister should immediately resign for the "shameful" behaviour of the state police with Priyanka Gandhi.

"The UP government has sent many people to jails and now the state police is manhandling senior political leaders. It has lost all moral and social right to remain in power," IYC media in-charge Amrish Ranjan Pandey alleged.

The alleged incident occurred in Lucknow on Saturday when the Congress leader was heading to the residence of retired IPS officer S R Darapuri, who was arrested in connection with the recent anti-citizenship law protests.

Priyanka Gandhi claimed that the police tried to stop her, she was surrounded, held by the throat by a woman cop and pushed by another as she was walking towards Darapuri's residence in Indiranagar's sector 18.

UP Police has termed the allegations "false".