Uttar Pradesh's political landscape turned tense after Samajwadi Party national president and former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, along with Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, was taken into custody in Delhi. Word of the detentions spread quickly, pushing Samajwadi Party and Congress workers onto the streets in district after district, with slogans against the government and heavy police deployment following in several places.
SP workers march on the state assembly
As soon as news of Akhilesh Yadav's detention broke, senior Samajwadi Party leaders and a large crowd of workers headed straight for the Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha. State president Shyamlal Pal and senior leader Rajpal Kashyap led the demonstration. Workers tried to encircle the assembly building and raised slogans against the state government and administration. The sudden arrival of such a large crowd of Samajwadi Party supporters left police and officials scrambling to manage the situation on the spot.
Sit-in at Shastri Chauraha in Etawah
In Etawah too, party workers mobilised the moment news of the SP chief's arrest reached them. A large number of Samajwadi Party members gathered at Shastri Chauraha and sat down in protest. The sit-in was led by the party's state secretary, Gopal Yadav, who addressed workers and questioned the government's conduct.
Pratapgarh protesters call it an attack on democracy
Samajwadi Party workers in Pratapgarh district also came out against the arrests of national president Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi. Hundreds of workers assembled at the city's Ambedkar Chauraha, raised slogans against the central government and staged a sit-in. Protesters described the arrests as nothing short of the murder of democracy. Faced with the sudden, large gathering and the noise it generated, the administration deployed a heavy police force at Ambedkar Chauraha to maintain peace.
Road blocked outside SP office in Agra
The fallout from Akhilesh Yadav's arrest was also felt in Agra. Workers gathered outside the Samajwadi Party office on Fatehabad Road in the Tajganj area and staged a vigorous protest. Angry workers blocked the main road, bringing traffic on the stretch to a complete halt. As soon as local police learned of the jam and the commotion, a team rushed to the spot and worked to calm the workers while clearing the road and restoring normal traffic movement.
Pramod Tiwari targets the Centre in the Rajya Sabha
Following Rahul Gandhi's arrest, Congress's deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, Pramod Tiwari, launched a sharp attack on the central government. "When ruin nears, judgement deserts you," he said. Tiwari pointed out that Rahul Gandhi is the son of former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, who gave his life for the country, and the grandson of Indira Gandhi, yet he was arrested by a government whose politics, Tiwari said, had once sided with the British in 1942. He alleged that the country's youth are being beaten on the streets, and that Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were dragged away violently for trying to raise that issue. Tiwari added that the writing on the wall shows the Modi government's end is near.
Torchlight march by Congress workers in Shahjahanpur
In Shahjahanpur, Congress workers protested against the lathi-charge on students in Delhi. Led by the district president, workers marched out of the party office and walked across the town carrying lit torches, raising slogans against the central government throughout the march. Congress workers accused the government of brutally crushing students' voices and demanded the immediate resignation of Union Education Minister Dharmendra Pradhan over the incident.
Jaunpur sees fresh round of SP protests
Anger among Samajwadi Party workers also spilled onto the streets of Jaunpur over Akhilesh Yadav's arrest. A large number of workers gathered at Ambedkar Chauraha, sat down in protest and shouted slogans against the central government. Upset over their national president's arrest, workers kept up their demonstration for a prolonged period. To keep the situation under control, the administration deployed a heavy police force at Kotwali Mariahu Chauraha to preserve law and order.
Taken together, the protests over the Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi arrests were never confined to Delhi alone, they spread from the Uttar Pradesh assembly premises to Etawah, Pratapgarh, Agra, Shahjahanpur and Jaunpur. In each district, Samajwadi Party and Congress workers registered their protest in their own way, forcing the administration to station additional police forces at multiple locations.
