Members of a Congress delegation slated to visit families who lost children and women to attacks by a man-eating leopard in Bijnor district of Uttar Pradesh, were put under house arrest by the police on Tuesday (September 23, 2025).
The incident set off an uproar, with State U.P. Congress president Ajay Rai alleging that the police action showed the “insensitivity and dictatorship” of the State government, which wanted to silent the Opposition and other democratic voices.
“Recently, two children and women died tragically in the attacks by a man-eating leopard in Bijnor district. Under my direction, a Congress delegation was scheduled to travel to Bijnor to investigate these incidents and meet with the families of the victims. However, the government, whose failures and insensitivity have already been exposed to the public, became so alarmed that it used its police force to place the delegation members under house arrest. This government move not only reflects authoritarianism but also proves that it lacks the courage to listen to the suffering of the people and face the truth. The Congress party will continue to speak out for the families of the victims and fight for justice,” Mr. Rai told The Hindu.
He added one member of the delegation managed to meet the victim’s families. “A delegation member, doctor Aazad Beg, along with local workers, managed to evade the police and reached the villages and helped me talk to the victim’s families. The situation is alarming as far as man-animal conflict is concerned, and the government has failed to do anything,” added Mr. Rai.
The Congress delegation members put under house arrest by the police were former Minister Haji Ikram Qureshi, district president Henrietta, city president Humayun Baig, and former district president Sherbaz Pathan. The Hindu contacted the Bijnor police but failed to get any response on the police action.
Published – September 23, 2025 10:26 pm IST
