Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra sat on a hunger strike on Monday after being detained in Uttar Pradesh's Sitapur while she was en route to Lakhimpur Kheri.
The party alleged that Gandhi and other Congress leaders accompanying her, including Deepender Hooda, had reached the Lakhimpur border in the morning but were not allowed to meet the families of the farmers who died in the violence during a protest a day earlier.
The UP Congress tweeted in their official account, "Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi has been arrested. She is on hunger strike. Congressmen are protesting. Government will have to bow to our demands. Voice for justice will be raised with more strength."
In a video released by the party, Gandhi was seen sweeping the floor of a room where she was apparently kept.
Congress state president Ajay Kumar Lallu told PTI, "stopping them in such a way is "undemocratic".
According to officials, mobile internet services have been suspended in parts of Lakhimpur district, where restrictions under CrPC section 144 — which prohibits assembly of four or more people — has also been imposed.
The UP Police took to Twitter early Monday to describe the incident as "unfortunate" and said eight casualties have been reported so far as per the district administration, reported PTI.
"ADG LO, ACS Agriculture, IG Range & Commissioner are on the spot & situation is under control. Adequate deployment has been done to prevent any untoward incident," it further added.