\'I will be back,\' says Priyanka after meeting kin of Sonbhadra victims

Mirzapur: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday announced that the Congress will pay Rs 10 lakh each as compensation to next of kin of those killed in the Sonbhadra firing and demanded that the Uttar Pradesh government should pay a compensation of Rs 25 lakh each.

“Those officials who tried to stop me from meeting the families (of Sonbhadra firing victims) are now saying that I was not arrested and that I am free to go. I want to tell them that I have met the families, and for now I am going but I will be back,” said Priyanka Gandhi while addressing the media after meeting the kin of victims.

"My objective has been served as I have met them (victim of Sonbhadra firing). The Congress party will pay Rs 10 lakh each as compensation to next of kin of Sonbharda firing victims," Priyanka Gandhi said speaking to media persons here.

She said a fair probe should be carried out in the case and government should provide compensation of Rs 25 lakh each to next of kin of Sonbhadra victims.

"The government should provide compensation of Rs 25 lakh each to next of kin of Sonbhadra victims," she said.

The Congress leader asserted that tribals should get onwership right to land that they have cultivated for decades and "cases registered against them should be withdrawn".

Earlier in the day, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday met the family members of the victims of Sonbhadra’s firing case at Chunar Guest House.

Twelve members of the affected families met the Congress general secretary at the guest house, senior party leader Ajay Rai said.

Gandhi consoled the aggrieved family members while sharing their sorrows. She wiped tears of the family members, and also offered water to them. Some of them who came to meet her also clicked photos to treasure the moment.

Congress leaders were detained at the airport soon after they arrived. Congress leader Rajeev Shukla said, "We were detained in the airport soon after we arrived. Now they have allowed us to go to Chunar."

Earlier, requesting to meet other victims’ families, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said: “Few relatives of victims have come here to meet me, others are not being allowed to meet me. Even I am not being allowed to meet them.”

“God knows why what is their (administration’s) mentality”, she said as she asked the media to create some pressure on the administration so that they let the families meet her.

Congress delegation led by Pramod Tiwari on Saturday met Governor Ram Naik over Sonbhadra firing incident that claimed lives of 10 people.

Commenting on the ongoing scuffle between Priyanka Gandhi and the Yogi Adityanath led-government, Pramod Tiwari said, "This government doesn't want that someone should wipe off victims' tears. It's unconstitutional and undemocratic. It seems as if Uttar Pradesh government has implemented undeclared emergency to hid its sins and short comings."

In a series of late-night tweets, Priyanka stated that Braj Bhushan, Varanasi Additional Director General of Police, along with other senior government officials, came to meet her at around 12 am at Chunar Fort, where she was taken after she was stopped earlier on Friday.

"We will continue to sit here till Priyankaji is kept in the guesthouse in Mirzapur and not allowed to meet the victims," party spokesman Anshu Awasthi said.

Read | Won't go without meeting families: Priyanka, spends night in Mirzapur

A team of the Trinamool Congress was stopped at the Varanasi airport on Saturday morning, who was on their way to meet the victims of Sonbhadra firing.

Derek O'Brien said the police officers, while stopping them at the airport, said they were "doing as told from topmost".

Also Read | TMC delegation on way to meeting Sonbhadra victims' families detained

Gandhi spent Friday night at the Chunar guest house in Uttar Pradesh’s Mirzapur after she was stopped from meeting the families affected by the Sonbhadra shootout.

(With inputs from agencies)