A Congress delegation was on Sunday stopped by police from visiting Gorakhpur’s Amtura village where a man was killed on December 3 in a land dispute, party leaders said.

Several leaders were detained after heated arguments, while others were placed under house arrest in Gorakhpur and Maharajganj districts.

Superintendent of Police (North) Jitendra Kumar stated that the measures were necessary to prevent further escalation of tensions in Amtura.

“The situation in the village is stabilising. Allowing political delegations could disturb the peace,” he said.

The delegation led by former MP Harikesh Bahadur Singh, Congress MLA Virendra Chaudhary, former minister Sadal Prasad, and former district Congress president Nirmala Paswan, attempted to meet the family of Ramdhani Nishad who was killed in a dispute with Tikku Singh over land and the placement of a motorcycle. Police swiftly arrested Tikku Singh.

“My house was surrounded by police since morning. This is a breach of my fundamental rights,” said the party’s former district president Nirmala Paswan.

Congress leader Amrendra Paswan was allegedly detained following a scuffle with officers. Congress Women’s Cell president Urmila Shukla and Sabiha Sabz Posh were confined to their homes in the Zafra Bazar area.

Other party leaders, including Pradesh Congress Committee members Touqeer Alam Khan, SP Singh, Jitendra Singh, and Devendra Nishad, were detained near the Belipar police station as they attempted to reach the village.

“This was a fact-finding delegation, not a protest. The police are trying to silence us,” said Congress MLA Virendra Chaudhary.