Ghaziabad: Around 50 Samajwadi Party workers headed for INDIA bloc’s rally in Delhi’s Ramlila Maidan were stopped at UP Gate on Sunday morning, triggering a brief protest and traffic disruption on NH-9. The workers sat on the road for over 15 minutes after police put up barricades to prevent them from entering the capital. They were allowed to proceed after senior officers counted the group.The workers, led by SP Mahanagar president Virendra Yadav, reached the Ghaziabad-Delhi border around 11.10am. When police stopped them, some got out of their vehicles and tried to push aside the barricades. Unable to move them, the group staged a dharna. The protest led to queues on NH-9, both towards Kaushambi and from Kaushambi towards Delhi.Senior officers arrived at the spot and allowed the workers to leave after counting them. The group resumed its journey around 11.30am, following which traffic returned to normal.Yadav said the workers were going to Ramlila Maidan to attend the protest only after obtaining permission from Delhi. “Chief minister Yogi Adityanath is behaving like a dictator. We want to put forward our views democratically at Ramlila Maidan. But we are being stopped from reaching Delhi. Attempts are being made to silence our voice,” he added.Rijul, DCP (trans-Hindon), said the checks were being carried out because only specified categories of vehicles were permitted to enter or ply in Delhi under the winter pollution restrictions and GRAP rules.“Police did not intend to stop the workers. We were only counting those travelling to Delhi. The barricades were removed after the count,” the DCP added.
