Priyanka meets Shia cleric allegedly beaten up by UP police in anti-CAA crackdown

Muzaffarnagar, Jan 04: Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday made an unscheduled visit to this western Uttar Pradesh town to meet the families of those who bore the brunt of the recent violent protests against the amended Citizenship Act.

The Congress general secretary visited the residences of some of those who were injured in the violence during the widespread protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act.

"I will stand with you in this hour of distress," she told one of them. Later she told mediapersons that people were beaten up mercilessly and even children and minors were not spared. A 22-year-old woman, who was seven-month pregnant, was also beaten up, she claimed.

Priyanka said she has highlighted each and every "police excess" in her lengthy memorandum to Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel during her previous visit to the state. She had visited Lucknow last week and met the kin of those injured or killed during the violent protests against the Act.

Earlier, she had gone to Bijnour and met the families of those killed in the violent clashes there. But she was not allowed to visit Meerut. Officials maintain that 19 people were killed in the state during violent clashes.