A parliamentary delegation from the Trinamool Congress led by Derek O’Brien on Saturday met the people injured during the shootout in Sonbhadra of Uttar Pradesh. The injured are at BHU Trauma Centre.
The three-member delegation however, was denied permission to visit the district, and had been detained at the Varanasi airport as their visit was primarily intended at visiting the family members of those killed and injured.
Party MP Derek O’Brien in a video posted on Twitter, said that he along with his party colleagues Sunil Mondol and Abhir Ranjan Biswas had been detained at the airport.
Later, the MPs met families of the injured. “Trinamool MPs deleg [delegation] met senior medical team at trauma centre,” the All India Trinamool Congress tweeted earlier today.
Ten persons from the Gond community were killed in a shootout on Wednesday over a land dispute in the Sonbhadra district. Another 28 persons were injured in the clash. Ubha village head Yagya Dutt went to take possession of the land – that he claimed he had purchased two years ago. He went with a group of people who allegedly opened fire on the people in the area. Twenty-nine people, including Dutt, have been arrested.
The Trinamool Congress also tweeted that they had met the families of those injured: “4 young men/ 2 women. 1 lady critical with skull injuries. UP govt has denied us permission to visit village. Dharna will continue at Varanasi airport.”
The district magistrate of Sonbhadra has said that Section 144 had been imposed in the area as the situation was tense. However, O’Brien said that it wouldn’t apply to them as they were only three persons visiting and under the Section, four or more people were not allowed together. The Trinamool delegation sat on a dharna at the Varanasi airport. The delegation said that they wished to proceed to Sonbhadra and meet the families of those killed.
Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was yesterday detained in Mirzapur as she was proceeding towards Sonbhadra. She spent the night sitting in a dharna at a guest house there. On Saturday morning, she met two relatives of the victims.
