UP must explain ''security breach'' during Rahul''s visit: Centre

New Delhi, Jan 14 (PTI) Taking a serious note of"security breach" during Rahul Gandhi''s recent visit toAllahabad, Centre has asked the Mayawati government to explainthe reasons behind such incidents occurring frequently.

The Home Ministry has written to the UP government alsoasking whether there was lack of coordination between the UPpolice and the SPG.

The UP government had earlier complained that it is notkept in the loop about Rahul''s travel plans to hisconstituency Amethi and other parts and said it cannot be heldresponsible for any incident if the state authorities are notinformed well in advance about his visits.

In its communication, the ministry has asked the stategovernment to send a report on the incident which took placeon Monday when activists of Samajwadi Party''s youth wingwaving black flags tried to stop Rahul''s car and clamber on tothe vehicle but were pushed back by SPG personnel.

Sources said prima facie it looks like the local policepersonnel, who were deployed along Rahul''s travel route,"failed" to control the protesters who tried to stop thevehicle of Rahul, a SPG protectee.

The Centre asked the state government to explain whysimilar incidents often take place whenever an SPG protecteetravels to Uttar Pradesh.

The SPG has on this occasion duly informed the localpolice about the travel plan of the Congress leader, sourcessaid.

The incident took place when Gandhi was on his way toAnand Bhavan, the ancestral house of the Nehru-Gandhis, forovernight stay after an interaction at engineering instituteMNNIT.

Deputy Inspector General of Police, Allahabad, Ram Kumar,however, termed the reports of security breach as "absolutelyuntrue".

"These reports are absolutely untrue. We have receivedno complaints in this regard from the SPG team which has beencamping in the city for the past couple of days. We have beenworking in close coordination with it," he had said.

Rahul had created a flutter by undertaking anunpublicised train journey in October 2010 in the ordinarysleeper class from Gorakhpur to Mumbai.

Following this the UP Additional Director General ofPolice Brij Lal said the state police was not informed aboutthe programme of the Congress leader.

Weeks later, Rahul took the official machinery inLucknow off guard when he landed there unannounced to attend aparty workshop, prompting Lal to say that no informationeither oral or written was given to the DGP or securityheadquarters about the visit of the Congress leader.