‘Crossed all limits’: Priyanka Gandhi skewers UP govt over Congress activist’s arrest

Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi on Sunday criticised the Uttar Pradesh government for the arrest of social activist Sadaf Jafar on several charges, including rioting, attempted murder and assault on public servants, during the anti-citizenship act protests in Lucknow.

Jafar was the only woman among the more than 200 people arrested in Lucknow for the violent protests against the new citizenship law on December 19.

The 43-year-old single mother’s bail petition was rejected last week by a court, which said the offences under which she was booked were serious in nature.

“The UP government has crossed all limits of inhumanity. Congress activist Sadaf Jafar is clearly seen in the video asking the police to arrest those spreading the violence. The police have put Sadaf in jail by making baseless allegations,” Gandhi tweeted in Hindi.

The Congress general secretary also posted a photograph from the meeting with Jafar’s children and another family member.

“Both of Sadaf’s children are eagerly awaiting the release of their mother. This insensitive government has separated children from their mother and old men from their children,” she said in another tweet.

Jafar, who is also a Congress spokesperson, was arrested while she was live on Facebook from the spot where the protests had gone violent in the capital city of Uttar Pradesh.

Sadaf had also posted two videos on Facebook highlighting police inaction when people resorted to vandalism during the protests.

Her sister Nahid Verma has said she was unarmed and never raised any slogan against the government.

“In the video clips, Sadaf can be heard telling cops to nab those pelting stones while she (Sadaf) was being abused by the male cops and later a women cop caught her hand and took her into custody. Everything was caught on camera,” Verma had said.

Those named in the first information report were booked under relevant sections for rioting, unlawful assembly, attempt to murder, wrongful constraints, criminal intimidation, criminal assault on public servant etc.

They were also booked for alleged criminal conspiracy and under the Public Property Damage Act. As many as 11 FIRs were lodged in six police stations of the city.

Priyanka Gandhi has been meeting the families of those who have been arrested for protesting against the citizenship act.

On Saturday, she had met the family of retired Indian Police Service (IPS) officer SR Darapuri, who has been arrested in connection with the recent anti-citizenship amendment act stir in the capital of Uttar Pradesh.