UP Congress Ajay Rai house arrest before Ram Temple visit

The Uttar Pradesh Congress president, Ajay Rai, was placed under house arrest in Ayodhya late Monday night, hours before a planned high-level party delegation was scheduled to visit the Ram Temple on Tuesday, June 30. The Congress party alleged the detention was an attempt by the state's Bharatiya Janata Party government to obstruct the visit, which was planned amid an ongoing political controversy over alleged financial irregularities in the handling of temple donations.

Police took Rai into custody from his hotel, the Padmashree Palace in Kaniganj, around 11:40 p.m. on Monday and shifted him to the Acharya Narendra Dev University of Agriculture and Technology, where he was kept overnight. The Congress stated that its Pratapgarh district president, Neeraj Kumar, was also detained without explanation. Party officials said they had informed the local administration of the delegation's planned visit in advance.

In a statement, the Uttar Pradesh Congress condemned the action as unconstitutional and demanded the immediate release of its leaders, calling for an end to what it termed a "repressive" policy. Rai's wife, Reena Rai, alleged authorities misled associates about his...