Gorakhpur/Lucknow, Dec 19 (PTI) The funeral of 28-year-old Congress worker turned chaotic in his native village in Gorakhpur on Thursday after Uttar Pradesh Congress Chief Ajay Rai arrived to pay his respects, sparking angry reactions from locals who accused him of exploiting the tragedy for political gain.

Prabhat Pandey died during a Congress-led protest near the Uttar Pradesh Assembly in Lucknow on Wednesday, with Rai claiming that his death was due to “police brutality.” However, the police stated he was brought dead to the hospital from the Congress office.

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Pandey's body was brought home for last rites on Thursday. His grieving father, Deepak Pandey, broke down, saying, “This is the result of my deeds. My only son is gone.” His mother fainted at the funeral site, while his grandfather, a retired postal employee, was in shock and unable to speak.

The situation became heated when Rai arrived to pay his respects, prompting locals to shout slogans such as "Ajay Rai go back," "Murderer party go back," and "Rahul Gandhi Murdabad, Priyanka Gandhi Murdabad."

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The police intervened as tensions escalated. Angry villagers accused Rai of exploiting the tragedy for political gain.

"No drama here," they shouted and prevented Rai from approaching the pyre.

In an attempt to calm the crowd, Rai showed his janeu (sacred thread) and asserted, "I am also a Brahmin, a true 24-carat one." After persistent appeals from other Congress leaders, he was reluctantly allowed to pay his respects.

The controversy surrounding Pandey's death has deepened political tensions. An initial post-mortem report cited a heart attack, but his family suspects foul play and has demanded an impartial investigation into his death.

Based on a complaint by his uncle, Manish Pandey, an FIR for murder against unknown persons has been registered at the Hussainganj police station in Lucknow.

"If Prabhat was unconscious for two hours at the Congress office, why wasn't he taken to the hospital earlier?" Manish Pandey questioned.

Pandey, who served as the secretary of the Youth Congress, had been living with his uncle in Lucknow while pursuing a computer course.

Holding the government responsible for Pandey's death, Rai said, "This is not a death, but a murder. Prabhat told his colleagues he was beaten by the police before he collapsed."

In a press statement on Thursday, Rai alleged that the government had obstructed Congress leaders from attending Pandey's funeral.

"The shameless, insensitive Yogi government has always sought to cover up its failures by undermining democratic values and blaming others," Rai said.

"Stopping us from attending the funeral of late Prabhat Pandey, a former colleague, is a highly insensitive move," he said.

He further accused the government of turning political disagreements into personal attacks, saying, "The treatment of opposition leaders as enemies is nothing less than a murder of democracy and an assault on political values."

"It is unfortunate that while late Prabhat Pandey's funeral was taking place, BJP supporters were raising slogans, bringing shame to humanity," Rai said.

He described the behaviour as the "pinnacle of the BJP's moral and ethical decline."

Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) organised a condolence meeting at its state headquarters in honor of Pandey.

It was attended by several senior leaders, including AICC General Secretary Avinash Pande, AICC Secretaries Satyanarayan Patel and Taukir Alam, former UPCC President Brijlal Khabri, and MLA Virendra Chaudhary, among others.

At the gathering, Avinash Pande expressed deep sorrow, saying, "The death of Prabhat Pandey during the struggle against police brutality has left our family in mourning. In this moment of grief, the entire Congress family stands with his relatives."

Pande pledged to continue fighting for justice, stating, "We will not rest until those responsible are held accountable."

He also called on Congress workers across the state to organise condolence meetings at district headquarters and light candles at local memorials as a tribute to Pandey.

Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, had strongly condemned the incident on Wednesday. "Democracy and the Constitution have once again been murdered in Uttar Pradesh. Congress' brave lions will continue their fight," Rahul Gandhi posted on X (formerly Twitter).

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)