Navjot Singh Sidhu who was leading a protest march with about 150 of his supporters from Punjab to violence hit Lakhimpur Kheri in UP, was stopped and detained by UP Police at Saharanpur. He was then taken to Sarsawa Air Force Station.
Mr. Sidhu, who recently resigned as Punjab Congress chief, had earlier tweeted photographs of him and his supporters. He also demanded the arrest of prime accused Ashish Mishra and threatened to go on a hunger strike.
Eight people were hit by a vehicle allegedly driven by Ashish Mishra, following which, violence erupted. Several political leaders including Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Akhilesh Yadav were detained in the aftermath.
Mr. Sidhu had tweeted, " 54 hours passed !! @priyankagandhi Ji has not been produced before any Court … unlawful detention beyond 24 hours is a clear violation of the fundamental rights. BJP & UP Police :- You are violating the spirit of the Constitution, impinging on our basic human rights !!".
A panel headed by a retired high court judge has been set up to investigate the incident and Rs. 45 lakh compensation has also been announced by the state government to the families of the deceased.