Centre asks UP to explain on Rahul's 'security breach'

The Central government has written to the Uttar Pradesh government, asking it to send a report on the incident which took place on Monday when activists of Samajwadi Party's youth wing tried to stop Rahul's car and clamber on to the vehicle raising black flags.

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 SPG protectee's car.

The Centre asked the state government to explain why similar incidents often take place whenever an SPG protectee travels to Uttar Pradesh and if there is any issue of lack of coordination between the SPG and local police, they said.

The SPG has 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.

As Rahul's motorcade approached Anand Bhavan, a group of SP youth wing activists, waving black flags and shouting slogans against the leader, jumped in front of his vehicle.

Some of the protesters came dangerously close to Rahul's car before they were repulsed by the SPG personnel guarding the Congress general secretary.

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.

Security arrangements for Gandhi, who visits Uttar Pradesh frequently, has often been a cause for spat between the Centre and the state government which had accused the former of not sharing enough inputs with the local police during the leader's tours.