Congress Leaders Detained in Saharanpur Amid Mosque Demolition Incident

Congress Leaders Detained in Saharanpur

Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee President Ajay Rai was detained by the police on September 7, 2026, while en route to meet the affected party in connection with a mosque demolition incident in Saharanpur. A heavy police presence stopped him at the Mal Avenue intersection shortly after he departed from the state Congress headquarters.

The action was met with strong protest from Congress workers, leading to the arrest of Ajay Rai and hundreds of other Congress members, who were then taken to the police line. They were all released after a considerable delay.

Rai Criticizes State Government

Responding to the incident, state Congress President Ajay Rai stated that the Yogi government in the state has proven to be a failure and is acting out of fear. He alleged that wherever Congress leaders and workers go to raise the voice of the victims and share their suffering, they are stopped.

He condemned this action as being against democracy and the constitution. Ajay Rai emphasized that the Congress party will always fight for the cause of the victims, and while the path may be blocked, their voices cannot be suppressed.

Protest Against Disputed FIR

After their release from the police line, state Congress President Ajay Rai and other arrested Congress members proceeded to Eco Garden. Here, a continuous sit-in protest organized by the Scheduled Caste Department has been ongoing for the past six days, entering its seventh day today.

This protest was initiated following a controversy that arose after a public rally by the Congress National President and Leader of the Opposition in Rajya Sabha, Mallikarjun Kharge, in Haldwani, Uttarakhand. Instead of filing an FIR against BJP leaders concerning the purification of the rally stage, a false FIR was allegedly registered against Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi with a malicious intent.

The Congress demands the annulment of the FIR against Rahul Gandhi and action against the culprits. Under the leadership of the Chairman of the Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee Scheduled Caste Department and MP, Tanuaj Punia, Congress members are staging a protest at Eco Garden to press this demand.

Opposition to Congress Leaders' Arrests

In protest against this protest and the arrests, hundreds of Congress members were present, including former MLAs Bhagwati Prasad Chaudhary and Indal Rawat, along with Asim Wakar, Badri Vishal Tiwari, Salim Akhtar, Abdullah Sher Khan, Maulana Islahi, Dr. Alimullah Khan, Arshad Azmi, Dr. Uma Shankar Pandey, Surendra Yadav, Omkarnath Singh, Dwijendra Tripathi, Rajesh Jaiswal, District President Rudradaman Singh Bablu, Pankaj Tiwari, Anamika Yadav, Sushila Sharma, Dr. Richa Sharma, Siddhi Shri, Lalan Kumar, Kuldeep Diwakar, Sanjay Singh, Amit Jaiswal, Rajesh Singh, Neeraj Tripathi, Ashutosh Mishra, Capt. Banshidhar Mishra, Rajesh Singh Kali, Aryan Mishra, Sushil Kumar Balmiki, Visham Singh, Murali Manohar, Vidya Gautam, and Brajesh Arya.

Congress leaders allege that the government is resorting to oppressive actions. Leaders attempting to express solidarity with victims or voice their concerns are being obstructed. This incident is likely to escalate Congress's political activity and its confrontation with the government in the state in the coming times.