Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, who were on their way to meet families of those killed in violence during protests against the Citizenship Amendment Act, have been stopped by the Uttar Pradesh Police from entering Meerut.

They are now returning to Delhi.

In a video shared by the Congress, a policeman could be heard asking Rahul and Priyanka to move back a little. After the UP Police stopped Priyanka and Rahul Gandhi from entering Meerut, Congress leader Imran Masood reportedly made the victim’s family talk to the Gandhis on phone.

Meanwhile, Section 144 has been imposed in Meerut.

The Congress leaders had on Tuesday morning left for Meerut where they were to meet kin of those killed in the violence.

On Sunday, Priyanka Gandhi made an unscheduled visit to Bijnor in Uttar Pradesh and met families of two persons, killed in recent violence over the amended citizenship law. Local Congress leaders said Priyanka Gandhi visited Nahtaur area of the district to meet families of the two persons, who died in the recent violence over the new provisions in the law.

UP Congress president Ajay Kumar Lallu told PTI that the party general secretary also interacted with people in the area. Bijnor was one of the districts in Uttar Pradesh affected by violence by anti-Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) protesters who hurled stones and brickbats at policemen, and torched some vehicles.

Protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act had broken out in several districts of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday leaving at least 17 people dead and moveable and immoveable assets damaged, mostly in arson.

Along with Uttar Pradesh, several parts of the country have been witnessing protests against the amended Citizenship Act and the proposed implementation of a pan-India National Register of Citizens (NRC).

The Citizenship (Amendment) Act provides for grant of citizenship to persecuted minority Hindus, Sikhs, Christians, Jain, Buddhists and Parsis of Pakistan, Afghanistan and Bangladesh, who have taken refuge in India before December 31, 2014.

Critics say that by leaving Muslims out of the ambit of the law, it violates the Fundamental Right to Equality under Article 14 of the Constitution and is against the secular ethos of the country.