UP Congress chief Ajai Rai faces wrath of locals as he attends funeral of party worker who died during protest

Gorakhpur: The funeral of a 28-year-old Congress worker turned chaotic in his native village in Gorakhpur on Thursday after the party's Uttar Pradesh chief Ajay Rai arrived to pay his respects, sparking angry reactions from locals who accused him of exploiting the tragedy for political gain.

Prabhat Pandey died during the party's protest near the Uttar Pradesh Assembly in Lucknow on Wednesday, with Rai claiming that he died due to "police brutality". However, the police said he was brought dead to the hospital from Congress office.

The Congress worker's body was brought home for last rites on Thursday. His grieving father, Deepak Pandey, broke down, saying, "This is the result of my deeds. My only son is gone." His mother fainted at the funeral site, while his grandfather, a retired postal employee, was in shock and unable to speak.

The situation became heated when Rai arrived to pay his respects, prompting locals to shout slogans such as "Ajay Rai go back," "Murderer party go back," and "Rahul Gandhi Murdabad, Priyanka Gandhi Murdabad." The police also intervened as tensions escalated. Angry villagers accused Rai of exploiting the tragedy for political gain.

"No drama here," they shouted and prevented Rai from approaching the pyre.

In an attempt to calm the crowd, Rai showed his janeu (sacred thread) and asserted, "I am also a Brahmin, a true 24-carat one." After persistent appeals by other Congress leaders, he was reluctantly allowed to pay his respects.

The controversy surrounding Pandey's death has deepened political tensions. An initial post-mortem report cited a heart attack, but his family suspects foul play and has demanded an impartial investigation into his death.

Based on a complaint by his uncle, Manish Pandey, an FIR for murder against unknown persons has been registered at the Hussainganj police station in Lucknow.

"If Prabhat was unconscious for two hours at the Congress office, why wasn’t he taken to the hospital earlier?" Manish Pandey questioned.

Pandey, an active Youth Congress member, was living with his uncle in Lucknow while pursuing a computer course.

Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Mallikarjun Kharge, have strongly condemned the incident on Wednesday. "Democracy and the Constitution have once again been murdered in Uttar Pradesh. Congress' brave lions will continue their fight," Rahul Gandhi posted on X (formerly Twitter), Meanwhile Rai held the government accountable for Pandey's death. "This is not a death, but a murder. Prabhat told his colleagues he was beaten by the police before he collapsed," he said.