The Yogi Adityanath led Uttar Pradesh government has been facing heavy criticism over the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, where eight people, including four farmers, died on Sunday, 3 October. Several Opposition leaders have been stopped from visiting the site of the incident or meeting the victims' families.
On Tuesday, 5 October, another incident came to light when a former Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP, Savitri Bai Phule, was stopped by the UP police from going to Lakhimpur Kheri to visit one of the victims' families to participate in his last rites. A video of the incident has gone viral on social media, where the police can be seen misbehaving with Phule, pushing her in the car, pulling her by the hair while taking her into custody.
The Quint spoke with Phule, later released on bail in the evening after being detained for several hours, who said the police crossed all the limits of misbehaviour.