Chandigarh: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi and his deputy Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa on Monday were denied permission to visit Lakhimpur Kheri by the Uttar Pradesh government.
The permission was denied, citing imposition of Section 144 of the Criminal Procedure Code, which prohibits the assembly of more than five people.
The Punjab Civil Aviation Director had written to the Uttar Pradesh authorities for the landing of the CM’s chopper at Lakhimpur Kheri, a spokesperson said.
The Uttar Pradesh Secretary (Home) informed the Punjab Civil Aviation Director that it is not feasible to grant permission to the chief minister and his deputy keeping in view the law and order situation, the official said.
Channi had planned to visit Lakhimpur Kheri to meet families of the farmers killed in violence during a protest over Uttar Pradesh Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya’s visit there on Sunday.
Channi had taken to Twitter to announce that he would go to Lakhimpur Kheri and that he had sought permission from the UP government for the visit.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Randhawa and a few Congress MLAs were stopped at the Haryana-Uttar Pradesh border.
A convoy of Randhawa was stopped, after which he and the party MLAs sat on the road in protest.
After Randhawa and some party legislators were stopped by the UP Police, Channi asked why Congress leaders were not being allowed to enter UP.
“Our Deputy CM @Sukhjinder_INC & MLAs have been detained at the UP Haryana Border. I condemn such tyranny being done by the UP Govt,” Channi tweeted.
Randhawa, who also holds the home affairs portfolio, was accompanied by Punjab Congress working president Kuljit Nagra, MLAs Kulbir Zira, Angad Saini, Parmider Singh Pinki, Kuldeep Vaid and Barindermeet Singh Pahra.
He criticised the UP government for not allowing them to go to Lakhimpur Kheri.
The deputy CM dubbed the incident as a “massacre” of farmers and likened it to the 1919 Jallianwala Bagh tragedy.
Earlier in the day, the Uttar Pradesh government had requested the Lucknow airport authorities not to allow the arrival of the Punjab deputy CM in view of the violence.
The Aam Aadmi Party and the Shiromani Akali Dal also announced that they would be sending delegations to UP.
Meanwhile, Punjab Agriculture Minister Randeep Singh Nabha demanded an inquiry by a sitting high court judge into the Lakhimpur Kheri incident.
Nabha also demanded the immediate release of the senior Congress leaders Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and Deepinder Singh Hooda, who were detained by the UP Police.
Eight people were killed on Sunday as violence erupted during a farmers’ protest in Lakhimpur Kheri, claiming the lives of both farmers and BJP workers ahead of a visit by UP Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya.
Four of the dead were people in the cars, apparently a part of a convoy of BJP workers who had come to welcome the UP minister.
They were allegedly thrashed to death.
The four others were farmers, officials said.
An FIR has been registered against Union Minister of State for Home Ajay Mishra’s son and several others in connection with the violence.
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