Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai was placed under house arrest late Monday night after arriving in Ayodhya ahead of a scheduled visit to the Ram Temple, sparking protests from the party and fresh political tensions in the state.
Rai reached Ayodhya on Monday and was staying at Padmashree Palace in Kaniganj when Ayodhya Police detained him at around 11:40 pm and escorted him into custody. Authorities later shifted him to Acharya Narendra Dev University of Agriculture and Technology, where he was held overnight. Discussions between Congress leaders and police officials were underway on Tuesday over the circumstances of his detention.
The Uttar Pradesh Congress had announced on its official X account that a delegation led by Ajay Rai would visit the Ram Temple on June 30 to offer prayers. The delegation included MPs Kishori Lal Sharma, Tanuj Punia, Rakesh Rathore and Ujjwal Raman Singh, MLA Virendra Chaudhary, former MP A.P. Gautam, former MLC Deepak Singh and other party leaders.
The Congress described the detention as politically motivated and accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh of resorting to “cowardly” measures to prevent the visit. Party leaders argued that Lord Ram is a symbol of faith and culture for all citizens, not the preserve of any single political party, and called it unconstitutional to prevent devotees from visiting Ayodhya.
The state party also alleged that Pratapgarh District Congress president Neeraj Kumar had been placed under house arrest late Monday without any explanation. In a sharp statement, the Congress demanded the immediate release of leaders detained or confined by authorities and called on the Uttar Pradesh government to end what it called a “repressive” policy that restricts peaceful visits to the temple.
Reena Rai, Ajay Rai’s wife, publicly criticised the state administration, saying the government would go to any extent to silence her husband. She alleged that after officials took Rai away in a police vehicle, authorities deliberately misled their associates about his whereabouts. “Our fight against the ‘Chadhawa Chor’ (offering thieves) will continue,” she said, warning that the BJP government would bear responsibility if anything happened to her husband.
Police sources said they took the measures citing law-and-order concerns and the need to prevent any untoward incidents around the sensitive site, but did not provide specific operational details. The Congress, however, insisted the actions were politically motivated and vowed to continue pressing for unfettered access to the Ram Temple for its delegation. Talks between the party and police were ongoing as of Tuesday morning.
