'Even I Was Pushed': After Priyanka Gandhi's Allegation of Manhandling, UP Cop Narrates Her Story

New Delhi: A Lucknow cop, who had allegedly manhandled Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi while she was on her way to meet a retired IPS officer, who has been arrested for protesting against the Citizenship Act, has denied the allegations, adding that the Congress leader was stopped "when she changed her route".

On Saturday, Gandhi had claimed that cops in Lucknow had stopped her car while she was on her to way to meet SR Darapuri, the 76-year-old retired IPS officer. Following this, Gandhi hitched on a party worker's scooter but she was again stopped at an intersection two kilometres away. She then decided to cover the rest of the distance till Darapuri's residence, located in Sector 18, Indiranagar, on foot.

Recalling the sequence of events, Gandhi had said, "I got off the vehicle and started walking. I was surrounded and a woman cop held me by my throat. Another woman cop pushed me and I fell down. I was forcibly stopped and a woman officer pulled me up by my neck. But I was determined. I am standing with every citizen who has faced police oppression. This is my 'satyagraha'”.

A senior IPS officer denied her claims on Sunday in an official statement. "There is no shred of truth in the claims being made on social media that cops grabbed Priyanka Gandhi Vadra's neck, pushed her. I was just performing my duties. In fact, even I was pushed around after which I fell on the ground," Archana Singh said.

Explaining her side of the incident, she wrote: "Priyanka Gandhi was scheduled to visit several places across Lucknow and I was deployed as the fleet in-charge. She was scheduled to go from party headquarters (in the city) to 23/2 Kaul House Gokhale Marg, the cars in the fleet were following her vehicle."

"When her car suddenly took a detour, I sought information about her destination due to security concerns. The party workers refused to give information. Later, Priyanka Gandhi got down from her car and started walking with her party workers," she said, adding that "change of route by VIPs leads to traffic issues".