New Delhi: Heading towards violence-hit Sambhal in Uttar Pradesh, Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra were stopped at the Ghazipur border between Delhi and Noida. Hundreds of Congress workers confronted the police for blocking the highway, preventing them from travelling further.

The police placed barricades across the road, bringing traffic to a halt as Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition’s (LoP) convoy reached the border.

Also Read | As Rahul Gandhi, Priyanka Gandhi On Their Way To Sambhal, Authorities Put Barricades

With chants of “Rahul Gandhi Zindabad” echoing amongst the crowd of Congress workers, both Rahul and Priyanka came twice on their convoy but were stopped by the border and are currently waiting to reach Sambhal. Despite a small contingent of Congress leaders consisting of the Gandhi siblings and five other Congress MPs from Uttar Pradesh, police have been deployed in large numbers.

Massive traffic jams were reported at different points on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway.

Earlier in the day, a senior police officer reportedly said that Gandhi would be stopped at the Uttar Pradesh gate on his way to Sambhal due to prohibitory orders in place in the district.

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The Uttar Pradesh district is facing curbs under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) until December 31, 2024. Initially, the order was supposed to end on December 1, but it was extended till the year-end.

Uttar Pradesh’s Sambhal district has been rocked by violence after clashes broke out during a court-mandated survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid. At least six people have died and several others injured. The unrest began on November 24 when locals resisted an ASI team, accompanied by members of Hindutva groups, chanting slogans like ‘Jai Shree Ram,’ investigating claims of a Hindu temple beneath the mosque.

(With inputs from Uzma Parveen)