Cong alleges migrants taken into preventive custody, police counter

After the Congress alleged on Saturday that the police had taken migrant workers who interacted with former party chief Rahul Gandhi into preventive custody, saying they had direction from the "top to do so", the Delhi Police said that it was Rahul Gandhi's associates who took the workers away.

"The VIP was interacting with the labourers who were about 15 in number 11 males, 4 females and one child. After about 15-20 minutes, Rahul Gandhi left the spot. The other persons accompanying Rahul Gandhi were briefed by the SHO of New Friends Colony police station to follow social distancing as per the guidelines. Later they took the labourers with them," read a statement issued by R.P. Meena, Deputy Commissioner of Police for South East District.

Rahul Gandhi met the migrant workers near the Sukhdev Vihar flyover. The Delhi Police said that he reached there at around 5 p.m.

The Congress on Saturday released photographs and videos of Rahul Gandhi interacting with migrants walking from Ambala in Haryana towards Jhansi in Uttar Pradesh.

The party also released Google Map locations, spelling out the places where Rahul Gandhi interacted with travelling migrant labourers.

( With inputs from IANS )