Noida, October 1: Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were arrested on Thursday afternoon near Yamuna Expressway, after the former was allegedly shoved and pushed to the ground by Uttar Pradesh Police, while on his way to Hathras to meet the family of the gang-rape victim who died on September 29.

According to police, the Wayanad MP was arrested under Section 188 of the Indian Penal Code. Congress leaders Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury, KC Venugopal and Randeep Surjewala were detained by the police. All these party leaders, including Rahul and Priyanka, were being taken to Buddh International Circuit in Gautam Buddh Nagar. Hathras Gangrape: Rahul Gandhi Arrested Under Section 188, Alleges UP Police Lathicharged Him (Watch Videos).

Rahul Gandhi's Tweet

The scores of Congress workers were stopped from marching on the Delhi-Noida highway on their way to Hathras. Rahul, who was roughed up by the Uttar Pradesh Police at the Yamuna Expressway, alleged: "Just now police pushed me, lathi-charged me and threw me to the ground. I want to ask, can only Modi Ji walk in this country? Can't a normal person walk? Our vehicle was stopped, so we started walking."

He then told the police that he wanted to walk to Hathras alone and demanded to know under which section he was being arrested. "I want to walk to Hathras alone. Please tell me under which section you are arresting me," he asked. On this police replied, "We are arresting you under Section 188 of IPC for violating an order. "

Noida Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (ADCP) Ranvijay Singh said that the Congress leader's vehicle was stopped as the Epidemic Act, imposed to combat COVID-19, was being violated. "We have stopped them here. The Epidemic Act is being violated. We will not allow them to proceed forward," Singh said.

Meanwhile, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra has started a foot march to Uttar Pradesh's Hathras after her vehicle too was stopped by authorities along Yamuna Expressway today. The 19-year-old had succumbed to assault injuries in Delhi's Safdarjung Hospital on Tuesday where she was brought on Monday from Aligarh Muslim University Medical College.

The senior police official said that the postmortem, which was conducted by a team of doctors in Delhi, has established that the death was caused by the trauma of her neck injury.

"According to the postmortem report, the victim died due to the trauma of her neck injury. FSL report also clearly shows that sperm was not found in the collected samples. It suggests that some people twisted the matter to stir caste-based tension," Prashant Kumar, UP ADG Law and Order said.