After Assam, Police Action Kills Another Congress Protester in UP

A Congress worker tragically died during a protest near the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Wednesday, leading to conflicting statements from the party and police. The worker, identified as 28-year-old Prabhat Pandey from Gorakhpur, was reportedly brought dead to the hospital from the Congress office.

"Prabhat Pandey was brought to the Civil Hospital in Hazratganj in an unconscious condition from the Congress office. The doctors declared him brought dead," said DCP (Central Lucknow) Raveena Tyagi.

"Prima facie, according to doctors, there was no visible injury mark on his body. Apart from this, a post-mortem would be done by a panel and the process would be videographed. Accordingly, further legal proceedings would be carried out," she added.

However, Uttar Pradesh Congress Chief Ajay Rai, in a post on X, claimed that Pandey's death was a result of "police brutality." He wrote, "Today, while going to gherao the assembly, our young colleague Prabhat Pandey ji passed away due to police brutality."

Rai expressed his grief and anger over the incident, calling it "extremely sad and condemnable" and said, "Our Congress family is hurt and angry by this accident. We will not tolerate this incident at all." He also demanded compensation for the deceased's family, urging the Yogi government to provide Rs 1 crore in financial assistance and a government job for a family member.

The protest, organized by the Congress to highlight issues such as farmer distress, unemployment, inflation, privatisation, and law and order, saw barricades placed around the UP Assembly to prevent the protesters from advancing. Traffic in the city was severely impacted due to route diversions, and police invoked curbs under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) to restrict Congress workers from moving forward from their Mall Avenue office.

Earlier today, a Congress protestor died during the 'Raj Bhavan Chalo' march organised as part of the nationwide protest. Several media persons covering the march were also injured in tear gas shelling by the police.

Also Read: Safety Of Journalists At Stake; Guwahati Incident Demands Answers