Raising voice in democracy not a crime: Priyanka Gandhi

Ahead of her visit to the SP stronghold Azamgarh where she is likely to meet family members of arrested anti-CAA protestors, Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Wednesday said raising voice in a democracy is not a crime.

Her visit also comes in the backdrop of "missing" posters of Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav surfacing in his parliamentary constituency. The posters had questioned the MP's absence in the wake of police action on women protesting against the CAA here last week.

In a tweet in Hindi, Priyanka Gandhi said, "Raising voice in a democracy is not a crime. And, it is my duty to stand with those, with whom crime has been committed. (Loktantra mein awaaz uthaana julm nahi hai aur mera kartavya hai ki jinke saath julm ho raha hai main unke saath kharhi hoon)." Several Muslim women had staged a protest at Maulana Jauhar Park area here last week against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) but were forcibly removed by police.

An FIR was registered against 35 named and over 100 unidentified people involved in the protests. Of them, 20 people were arrested, police had said.

This is the Congress general secretary's second visit to eastern UP in less than a week.

On Sunday, she had visited Varanasi on the occasion of Ravidas Jayanti.