SP's Dimple Yadav accuses BJP of "disturbing the atmosphere" in UP

"When the state government and administration is the culprit, then they can give any angle to the incident. BJP is trying to disturb the atmosphere of UP," Yadav said.

She further alleged that the BJP carried out the Sambhal incident to "divert the attention" of people from the Uttar Pradesh bypolls "rigging."

"To divert the attention of people from the rigging that took place in elections, the Sambhal incident was carried out...The public of the state has realised that the state government will not talk about employment, reservation, women's safety, farmers," she said.

In UP bypolls, BJP won six assembly by-polls, and its ally Rashtriya Lok Dal (RJD) won one seat, while the Samajwadi Party was able to win just two seats out of nine contested.

Earlier in the day, Congress MP Tanuj Punia criticized the government for preventing Rahul Gandhi from visiting Sambhal, calling it a violation of constitutional rights. He alleged that the government was attempting to suppress the voice of the opposition.

"On one side, the government is saying that everything is normal, and on the other side, they are saying that our arrival will create a mess. If they had a problem with a crowd moving forward, he [Rahul Gandhi] was ready to go alone with the police, but they didn't allow that either," Punia said.

Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, accompanied by Wayanad MP Priyanka Gandhi and other party leaders, were stopped by police at the Ghazipur border on Wednesday while attempting to visit violence-hit Sambhal.

The violence in Sambhal erupted on November 24 during an Archaeological Survey of India (ASI) examination of a Mughal-era mosque, resulting in four fatalities and multiple injuries among police personnel and locals. (ANI)