Rahul Gandhi, leader of the opposition in India’s Lok Sabha, had a narrow escape when his convoy was involved in an accident on the Purvanchal Expressway in Uttar Pradesh. On Monday morning, 26 October, while he was on his way to a court in Sultanpur, five cars at the rear of his convoy ran into one another. A few people were slightly injured, but the car carrying Rahul Gandhi was not damaged and he was unhurt.
After the accident Rahul went on to the Sultanpur court as planned. He faced a defamation case over remarks about Amit Shah, a former president of the BJP. The court acquitted him.
Rahul had landed at Lucknow airport on Monday morning and was travelling by car towards Sultanpur with Congress leaders. The accident happened in the Haliyapur area, about 35 kilometres from Lucknow.
According to initial reports, one car in the convoy hit an ambulance ahead of it, and the cars behind then ran into one another. Some said a car in the convoy had braked suddenly. The real cause will be known only after CCTV footage is examined and the police complete their investigation.
Attending court was the main purpose of the trip. BJP leader Vijay Mishra filed the case against Rahul over a remark about Amit Shah during the 2018 Karnataka election campaign. Monday was the day of the verdict, so Rahul’s presence was required. His reaching court on time despite the accident and being cleared in the case drew wide attention through the day.
বাংলায় মূল প্রতিবেদন পড়ুন · Read the original Bengali report