Congress leaders, including Lok Sabha Leader of Opposition (LoP) Rahul Gandhi and Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, have been stopped at the Ghazipur border on the Delhi-Meerut Expressway on their way to violence-hit Sambhal, according to an ANI report.

The delegation has been stopped due to prohibitory orders in place in the district following last month's violence during a survey of the Shahi Jama Masjid that killed five people.  The Congress delegation for the Sambhal visit consists of the Gandhi siblings and five other Congress MPs from Uttar Pradesh.

“We will not permit Rahul Gandhi to Sambhal as prohibitory orders have been issued by the administration there. Police will stop Gandhi at the UP gate. Ample police force has been deployed at the spot,” Ghaziabad Police Commissioner Ajay Kumar Mishra told PTI.  Sambhal is facing curbs under Section 163 (power to issue an order in urgent cases of nuisance or apprehended danger) of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita (BNSS) until December 31, 2024. While this was earlier set to expire on December 1, the order has been extended until the end of the year.