New Delhi: Two Congress workers died in alleged police action in two separate incidents during protests in Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled Uttar Pradesh and Assam, the party said.
Congress worker Prabhat Pandey died in Lucknow after being beaten by police during a ‘gherao’ of the UP state assembly, the party alleged. In Assam’s Guwahati, Congress’s legal secretary in the north-eastern state Mridul Islam died after being injured by a tear-gas shell during a protest near the Raj Bhawan, the party said.
Both incidents took place on December 18. Police in both places have denied their role as of now but said they were investigating the deaths and waiting for the post mortem reports to confirm the causes of death.
Uttar Pradesh: ‘An inhuman act’
Congress UP president Ajay Rai, who was also manhandled by police during the protest in Lucknow, alleged that Pandey, aged 28-31, died due to “beating by police.” Addressing a press conference late on Wednesday, Rai presented before the media two Congress workers Ashish Keshri and Junaid Iqram Qureshi who had spoken to Pandey before he died. Pandey had told them that police beat him and even asked them for water, Rai said.
The Congress leader said that after Pandey was brought in to the party headquarters in Lucknow in an unconscious state, they dialled for an ambulance but it did not arrive, Therefore, they took him to the nearest hospital in a private car.
“They have committed an inhuman act,” Rai said, demanding action against the concerned police personnel. “The police also crushed me under their boots. I was unconscious for around 15 minutes. I am a former five-time MLA. Imagine what they must have done to our worker,” said Rai.
The Congress state chief said that the police had put up barricades with barbed wires and pointed spears to hurt Congress workers.
Pandey was a resident of Gorakhpur.
Police file murder charges
Lucknow police said Pandey was brought dead to the hospital from the Congress office, according to doctors. Initial investigation revealed that the deceased was last seen at the Congress state party office, where he was found unconscious, said police. “According to doctors, prima facie there were no external injury marks on his body,” said deputy commissioner of police, Central Lucknow, Raveena Tyagi.
Police said that to “ensure fairness,” the post mortem would be conducted by a panel of doctors with videography. The police added they would ensure a quick and transparent investigation following the legal process.
Lucknow police also described as “rumours” allegations that Congress protesters were beaten up during the protest. “No force was used against the protestors during the demonstration,” police said, threatening to take legal action against those spreading “false information and rumours” about the incident.
Police later registered a murder case against unknown persons on the complaint of Manish Pandey, Prabhat’s uncle, and a pro-BJP government journalist.
In his complaint, Manish Pandey said that he had received a phone call from someone in the Congress party that his nephew had been lying unconscious in the party office for two hours and that his hand and feet had turned cold. Manish Pandey said he suspected “something untoward” happened to his nephew, whom he said had no prior illness. He was “possibly murdered due to unknown reasons,” alleged Manish Pandey.
DCP Tyagi said police were gathering evidence from the Congress office and analysing their CCTV footage. She also said that police would record the statements of Prabhat Pandey’s colleagues and the caretaker of the Congress office. The police have also taken his phone for forensic investigation, she added.
‘Murdered again’
In Assam, Congress worker Islam died during a police crackdown in which the police fired tear gas at the protestors as well as journalists and used lathis on them. Diganta Barah, Commissioner of Police Guwahati, however, said that it was too early to pinpoint how Islam died and said that the cause of death would be known after the autopsy.
Unprecedented scenes-when Journalists who were performing their professional duties in congress protests in Guwahati fell unwell after sudden release of tear gas shells, allegedly lobbed, the big question is did @assampolice follow SOPs, this video’s raises serious concern! pic.twitter.com/JujX779D4p
— Ratnadip Choudhury (@RatnadipC) December 18, 2024
The Congress has taken a combative stand on the death of two of its workers during protests and accused the BJP-governed police of brutality. Congress MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said the “way the BJP governments have taken repressive action against Congress workers is reminiscent of the British Raj.”
“Police brutality on Congress workers who were going to gherao the Vidhan Sabha against the prevailing misrule in Uttar Pradesh took the life of one of our workers. The death of youth Congress worker Prabhat Pandey ji of Gorakhpur is extremely heart-rending. Similarly, the BJP government used lathis and tear gas shells on the protesting Congress workers in Assam, in which Mridul Islam ji died. The BJP is attacking Baba Saheb in Parliament and crushing his Constitution on the streets,” she said.
Congress MP and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi said democracy and constitution “have been murdered again” in BJP ruled Assam and Uttar Pradesh.
“Across the country, Congress party is conducting Satyagraha in support of Babasaheb and Constitution. During this, the death of our Congress workers Mridul Islam in Guwahati and Prabhat Pandey in Lucknow due to excessive police force is very sad and condemnable,” he said.
