Two Congress workers died on Wednesday during protests held by the party in Uttar Pradesh and Assam. The party claimed that they died due to police brutality in the Bharatiya Janata Party-ruled states, while the authorities denied the allegations.

Congress leader and Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi said on X that democracy and the Constitution had been “murdered again in BJP-ruled Assam and Uttar Pradesh”. He alleged that the party workers died due to excessive police force.

The Congress member who died in Assam’s Guwahati was identified as Mridul Islam, while the one who died in Uttar Pradesh’s Lucknow was identified as Prabhat Pandey.

Islam was among around 1,000 protestors who were marching towards the Guwahati Raj Bhavan, the governor’s official residence, The Indian Express reported. The protest was held against the Union government’s alleged favouritism towards industrialist Gautam Adani, and against the Manipur ethnic violence.

The Congress alleged that the police used excessive force against peaceful protestors, which led to the party worker’s death.

“They released not just one or two but three tear gas shells at the same time right under people’s faces,” Assam Congress chief Bhupen Borah said, according to The Indian Express. “…We have seen tear gas before but not released right under people’s faces. We are not scared and we will not let Mridul Islam’s death go to waste.”

Guwahati Commissioner of Police Diganta Barah confirmed that the police used three tear gas shells to force the crowd to disperse. He said that a post-mortem examination was being carried out to investigate the cause of Islam’s death, but added that a magisterial inquiry did not find any injury marks on his body.

The police chief also claimed the Congress had not sought permission for the protest, while the party denied the allegation.

In Lucknow, Prabhat Pandey, a 28-year-old Congress worker from the Gorakhpur district, also died during a protest on Wednesday, the Hindustan Times reported.

The party was holding a march to the state Assembly to protest against inflation, unemployment and law and order problems. The party members were stopped by the police outside the building, leading to a clash.

Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai alleged that Pandey was killed in “police brutality” during the protest. He demanded that the state government should provide compensation of Rs 1 crore to his kin and a job to a family member.

Pandey’s uncle filed a complaint with the Husainganj police station in Lucknow. The police filed a case of murder under Section 103 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita against unidentified persons.

Deputy Commissioner of Police Raveena Tyagi said that Pandey had been brought dead to the city’s civil hospital. “According to doctors, there were no injury marks on his body,” she said, according to the Hindustan Times. “A post- mortem examination will be done under videography and then further action will be taken