Pegasus snooping row: Uttarakhand Cong leaders detained while marching towards Raj Bhawan

Our leader Rahul Gandhis phone, those of some Union ministers and journalists were also among hundreds of numbers targeted for hacking by Pegasus spyware, Pritam Singh told reporters after being stopped by the police at Hathi Barkala chawk.

Leaders of the Uttarakhand Congress marched towards the Raj Bhawan on Thursday to register their protest against the alleged snooping through Israeli spyware Pegasus, calling it an ''attack on people's privacy''. Led by state party president and Chakrata MLA Pritam Singh, hundreds of Congress workers shouting slogans against the Centre staged a protest march from the party's state office to Dilaram Chawk and from there to the Raj Bhawan.

They were stopped by the police at Hathi Barkala chawk on the way to the Raj Bhawan and detained after they tried to jump over the barricades. ''It is an attack on people's privacy. Democracy is being weakened. Our leader Rahul Gandhi's phone, those of some Union ministers and journalists were also among hundreds of numbers targeted for hacking by Pegasus spyware,'' Pritam Singh told reporters after being stopped by the police at Hathi Barkala chawk. He also demanded the resignation of Home Minister Amit Shah on moral grounds.

An international media consortium reported on Sunday that more than 300 verified mobile phone numbers, including of two serving Union ministers, over 40 journalists, three opposition leaders and a sitting judge, besides scores of businessmen and activists in India could have been targeted for hacking through the Pegasus spyware.