UP police complaint to SPG on Rahul's train journey

Official sources said the police authorities here have written to SPG headquarters in Delhi complaining that the Congress's youth icon has violated protocol.

They said, as per blue book protocol, the state has to be kept in the loop on the movement of SPG protectees. "By not keeping the state in loop, security of the VVIP is compromised," a senior UP police official said.

Additional Director General (Security) Ramesh Sehgal has dashed off a letter regarding Gandhi's train journey without taking the state police into confidence, Home Secretary Dipak Kumar said.

To a question, he said there had been no correspondence in this connection at any level in the state government.

The sources said UP police came to know about his arrival by chance but the escorting police personnel were dodged before they could board the train.

According to Congress party sources Gandhi had undertaken the unpublicised train journey from Gorakhpur to Mumbai in the Lokmanya Tilak Express on October 18.

They said though the leader had reservation in the sleeper class, he preferred the general compartment and spent almost 36 hours talking to the common people migrating to Mumbai from eastern districts of the state in search of livelihood.

The sources said the main objective of Rahul's journey was to meet the migrants, youths and unemployed and get to know about their dreams and aspirations.

The Congress general secretary got off from the train in Mumbai on October 20, they said.

ADG law and order, Brij Lal had yesterday said, "The SPG extending security to Rahul did not apprise the state police about the programme and we only know that he took the train from Gorakhpur railway station and travelled in the sleeper class."