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Rahul Gandhi resumes yatra, J&K police refutes Congress's 'security lapse' claims

Kharge writes to Home Minister seeking his intervention in ensuring security

Bharat Jodo Yatra Congress leader Rahul Gandhi with others during Congress' Bharat Jodo Yatra, in Qazigund | PTI

After a halt due to the alleged security lapse, Rahul Gandhi on Saturday resumed his Bharat Jodo Yatra from Awantipora, Jammu and Kashmir. Rahul Gandhi on Friday said that he was forced to cancel the yatra at Qazigund in south Kashmir due to lack of security arrangements.

The Congress has accused the government of withdrawing security personnel from around Gandhi as the Yatra reached near Qazigund. Congress demanded action against responsible for the alleged security breach.

Leader of Opposition Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday wrote a letter to Home Minister Amit Shah seeking his intervention in the matter.

"We are expecting a huge gathering to join the yatra over the next two days and also the function that will be held on 30th January at Srinagar. Many senior Congress leaders of other important political parties are attending the culmination function to be held on the 30th of January," said Kharge in the letter.

"It is difficult for the organisers to tell exactly how many people are expected over the day as it is a spontaneous gesture of the common people to join the yatra," he wrote.

"I shall be grateful if you could personally intervene in this matter and advise the concerned officials to provide adequate security till the culmination of the yatra...at Srinagar," Kharge added.

“Yesterday, thousands of people wanted to join the yatra and somehow there was mismanagement. It was also said that people from another side of the tunnel came. It's baseless, the tunnel is 9 km long,” Ghulam Ahmad Mir, J&K Congress leader in Awantipora, Pulwama told ANI.

Mir also said that with the VVIP speed with which Rahul Gandhi came to this side, nobody could have followed him that quickly. “They were locals from South Kashmir, from Dooru constituency and were there out of love. Today, there's security but I appeal to also facilitate people who want to join,” Mir told ANI.

Meanwhile J&K administration and the police rejected the claim of security lapse at the yatra.

"In a very challenging and special event like this, the government is totally mindful of the security concerns. Nevertheless, all security arrangements have been made to ensure best possible security for the ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra," Additional Chief Secretary (home) R. K. Goyal told reporters.

Gandhi, who began his yatra from Banihal in Jammu region, crossed the Jawahar tunnel into the Valley in Qazigund in a bulletproof vehicle. He could only walk around 500 meters after that. He was asked by his security team to stop following the absence of police personnel to manage the large crowd.

Goyal had said that the size of the crowd became larger than planned and therefore it may have created an impression that security arrangements were not in place.

He also added that on the contrary to the arrangements worked out between the security establishment and march organisers, a large portion of the crowd from the Banihal side, who were supposed to return to Banihal, rushed to the Kashmir side.

“15 companies of paramilitary force and 10 companies of J&K police were in deployment for the yatra,” said Goyal.

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