Priyanka Gandhi Visits Umbha to Meet Families of Sonbhadra Massacre Victims

Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi arrived in Umbha village in Uttar Pradesh’s Sonbhadra district on Monday to meet the families of those killed in a firing over a land dispute, about a month after officials had prevented her from going there.

The massacre

In Umbha on July 17, a land feud left at least 10 Gond tribals dead and more than 26 injured. The dispute concerned a 90-bigha plot, and the attack was carried out by village head Yagya Dutt along with hundreds of others.

Her earlier attempt

When Priyanka first tried to reach the families after the killings, the district administration stopped her at Mirzapur on July 19, as prohibitory orders under Section 144 of the CrPC were in force, and held her at the Chunar Guest House. She refused to leave, stayed overnight, and met some of the families who were brought to her there.

Before returning to Delhi, she promised the villagers she would come back. “I am leaving today, but I shall return,” she told party workers at the guest house. The Congress later sent Rs 10 lakh in financial help to the 10 bereaved families.

BJP’s reaction

BJP spokesperson Chandramohan dismissed the visit as “petty politics and drama” and claimed the roots of the dispute lay in a decision of a Congress government in 1955.

Priyanka has been concentrating on Uttar Pradesh in recent months and has repeatedly criticised the Yogi Adityanath government over law and order in the state.

See also: Indian National Congress and Uttar Pradesh Vidhan Sabha members.

Originally published on 13 August 2019. Rewritten on 9 October 2026.

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