Congress protest march stopped in Lucknow amid face-off with police; party says ‘all limits of brutality crossed’

Uttar Pradesh Congress leaders and workers clashed with constabulary successful Lucknow connected Tuesday (February 17, 2026) during a protestation march against the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government.

Members of the Congress clashed with the constabulary portion trying to scope the Vidhan Sabha to rise allegations of the undermining of the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), demolition of practice areas similar Dal Mandi successful Varanasi, corruption crossed the State and the breakdown of instrumentality successful U.P. 

The Congress claimed its “strong resoluteness outweighs each partition enactment up by the authorities” and vowed to intensify absorption against the “autocratic BJP government”.

The U.P. constabulary did not allow the Congress protest to scope the Vidhan Sabha and stopped it astatine immoderate region extracurricular the state Congress office. The protestors, including State Congress president Ajay Rai, were detained for immoderate hours and taken to Eco Garden, a protest venue successful Lucknow. 

‘Black time for democracy’: Congress State president

““Today, portion going to gherao the assembly, the mode the constabulary crossed each limits of brutality connected the streets of Lucknow astatine the behest of the BJP government, is simply a achromatic time for democracy,” Ajay Rai told The Hindu.

Our workers who were protesting peacefully were brutally beaten, their hands and legs were broken, and the mode the constabulary medication treated our women workers is unforgivable. I, too, was attacked with the intent to termination and sustained injuries. In this epoch of injustice, the bloodshed of each of our workers and the disrespect shown to women volition people the opening of the BJP’s end,” helium said.

“This oppression volition beryllium afloat accounted for, and the radical of the authorities volition springiness you a befitting reply successful 2027. Our conflict implicit people-centric issues similar undermining the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), demolition of practice areas similar Dal Mandi, corruption and against breakdown of instrumentality successful U.P. will continue,” said Mr. Rai. 

Mr. Rai added, “The constabulary of the BJP authorities person tried to suppress our dependable by forcibly making america each beryllium successful the Eco Garden, but our tone is not going to break. No powerfulness successful the satellite tin halt america from raising the dependable of the radical successful U.P. who are facing authorities oppression and economical loot by the government, each sections of the nine — beryllium it youths, women, farmers oregon laborers — are frustrated with the BJP government.” 

Barricades astir Congress office

Around the Congress State office successful Lucknow, galore barricades were placed since February 16 evening, with galore enactment leaders and workers enactment nether location apprehension successful antithetic districts of the authorities a time earlier to halt them from coming to the State capital. 

“Our planned protestation successful Lucknow against the undermining of MGNREGA by the authorities and different issues was forcefully stopped by the administration,” Pramod Tiwari, a elder Rajya Sabha subordinate and Deputy Leader of Opposition successful the Rajya Sabha, told The Hindu. 

“Thousands of Congress workers were detained. The authorities utilized unnecessary unit connected peaceful protestors. But the BJP won’t beryllium capable to intimidate the brave Congress workers who are warring to support the agrarian employment strategy nether the enactment of our leader, Rahul Gandhi.”

“The enthusiasm of Congress connected the roads of Lucknow showed that the epoch of our enactment is back. Our brave workers neither their bullets nor police. Stop violating the rights of agrarian colonisation of India,” helium said.