The scion of the Gandhi political dynasty was taken into preventative custody after pledging full support to the farmers in villages in Uttar Pradesh state near the capital New Delhi, Press Trust of India news agency reported.[break]
"Rahul Gandhi has been arrested ... and will be presented before a sub-divisional magistrate tomorrow," local police inspector general Rajnikant Mishra was quoted as saying.
Gandhi, 40, was arrested in a village in Greater Noida, which was cordoned off by police on Monday after deadly clashes with farmers demanding greater compensation from the state government over its land acquisition policy.
"I feel ashamed to call myself Indian after seeing what has happened here. The (state) government here has unleashed atrocities on its own people," he was quoted as telling the protesting farmers before his arrest.
The Uttar Pradesh government, ruled by firebrand leader Mayawati who is fiercely opposed to the Gandhis, has sought to restrict access to the area.
Gandhi, who arrived on a surprise visit riding pillion on a motorbike in the early hours of Wednesday to avoid police deployed there, pledged to support the farmers.
The rising political star is the great-grandson of India´s independence prime minister Jawaharlal Nehru and son of late former premier Rajiv Gandhi and Italian-born Sonia Gandhi, who is head of the national ruling Congress party.
Uttar Pradesh, India´s most populous state, is controlled by the regional Bahujan Samaj Party.
His arrest is sure to spark outrage among supporters and surprise that the police dared to act against such a high-profile figure, who is also an elected member of parliament from the Amethi constituency in Uttar Pradesh.
The Hindustan Times said Gandhi´s visit had "further aggravated simmering tension between the state and central government."
Two policemen and a farmer were killed at the weekend near a suburb of Noida in violent protests against acquisition of farmland designated for the new motorway.
The Uttar Pradesh state government said the farmers had been given generous compensation.
But the farmers claim they were paid only 800 rupees (18 dollars) a square metre for the land which was then sold to property developers for 3,200 rupees.
The developers are now offering residential plots for 14,000 rupees a square metre, NDTV television reported on its website.
Land acquisition for roads, factories or other development is a controversial issue across India, with violence often erupting between farmers and police.
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