New Delhi: Taking a serious note of
"security breach" during Rahul Gandhi`s recent visit to
Allahabad, Centre has asked the Mayawati government to explain
the reasons behind such incidents occurring frequently.
The Home Ministry has written to the UP government also
asking whether there was lack of coordination between the UP
police and the SPG.
The UP government had earlier complained that it is not
kept in the loop about Rahul`s travel plans to his
constituency Amethi and other parts and said it cannot be held
responsible for any incident if the state authorities are not
informed well in advance about his visits.
In its communication, the ministry has asked the state
government to send a report on the incident which took place
on Monday when activists of Samajwadi Party`s youth wing
waving black flags tried to stop Rahul`s car and clamber on to
the vehicle but were pushed back by SPG personnel.
Sources said prima facie it looks like the local police
personnel, who were deployed along Rahul`s travel route,
"failed" to control the protesters who tried to stop the
vehicle of Rahul, a SPG protectee.
The Centre asked the state government to explain why
similar incidents often take place whenever an SPG protectee
travels to Uttar Pradesh.
The SPG has on this occasion duly informed the local
police about the travel plan of the Congress leader, sources
said.
The incident took place when Gandhi was on his way to
Anand Bhavan, the ancestral house of the Nehru-Gandhis, for
overnight stay after an interaction at engineering institute
MNNIT.
Deputy Inspector General of Police, Allahabad, Ram Kumar,
however, termed the reports of security breach as "absolutely
untrue".
"These reports are absolutely untrue. We have received
no complaints in this regard from the SPG team which has been
camping in the city for the past couple of days. We have been
working in close coordination with it," he had said.
Rahul had created a flutter by undertaking an
unpublicised train journey in October 2010 in the ordinary
sleeper class from Gorakhpur to Mumbai.
Following this the UP Additional Director General of
Police Brij Lal said the state police was not informed about
the programme of the Congress leader.
Weeks later, Rahul took the official machinery in
Lucknow off guard when he landed there unannounced to attend a
party workshop, prompting Lal to say that no information
either oral or written was given to the DGP or security
headquarters about the visit of the Congress leader.
Meanwhile, the Uttar Pradesh government on Friday denied
reports that the Centre has sought a report on the "security
breach" during Congress leader Rahul Gandhi`s recent visit to
Allahabad.
"We have not yet received any letter in this regard
from the Centre," state Home Secretary Anand Kumar told
reporters when asked whether the state had received any letter
from the Centre seeking a report on breach of Rahul`s
security.
Additional Director General (Law and Order) Brijlal
also said that he has no knowledge about the Centre seeking
any such report on the security breach of Rahul Gandhi.
PTI
