Earlier, it was considered a fallout of an intra-Congress rivalry working to malign Joshi. Her opponents had even faxed a copy of the FIR to Sonia Gandhi, urging her to remove Joshi.

But today, Congress workers hit the streets shouting slogans against Mayawati and demanding immediate withdrawal of Joshi’s name from the FIR. “Dragging her name in the FIR by a unknown group is clearly a case of political vendetta. Our party chief had been highlighting irregularities of the BSP government,” said Javed Arfi, the district Congress spokesman.

Angry party workers also gheraoed the office of the Senior Superintendent of Police, Dinesh Juneja. They ended their agitation only after being assured of an investigation. “We have lodged the FIR, but this does not mean immediate arrested. We will take action after an investigation,” Juneja said.