By IANS,
Lucknow : Villagers in Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi’s Amethi constituency have stalled the construction of a private college whose foundation stone he had laid, alleging that the college authorities had illegally occupied the land, police said Tuesday.
Armed with wooden sticks, a large number of locals in the Pakargaon village that falls under Gandhi’s constituency, Monday evening visited the Rajiv Gandhi Vidyapeeth Degree College’s site and forcibly stopped the construction.
They threatened to launch protests if the construction was allowed, the police added.
“The angry villagers not only damaged the foundation stone but also razed the pillars and the boundary wall of the college,” college manager Vinod Mishra told IANS over telephone.
“On our personal request, Rahulji had laid the foundation stone of the college August 18,” he added.
Meanwhile, the police have initiated an inquiry into the matter.
“The matter needs to be probed extensively. Only after completing the inquiry, we would be in a position to tell whether construction of the college flouted the norms or not,” deputy superintendent of police Aditya Shukla told reporters.
“We, in assistance with the district administration, will go through the process of the land allotment to the college,” he added.
Though Pakargaon village falls under Amethi constituency, it is part of Rae Bareli district, some 80 km from Lucknow. Rae Bareli is Congress chief Sonia Gandhi’s constituency.