Earlier in the day, Gandhi claimed that the police personnel tasked with crowd management during the yatra were conspicuously absent. He remarked that despite a significant gathering, they were eager to proceed with the Bharat Jodo Yatra. “However, the breakdown in police arrangements compelled me to cancel my walk,” Gandhi stated. He explained that his security team expressed discomfort with continuing the walk, leading to its cancellation, though other yatris proceeded as planned. Stressing the importance of effective crowd management by the police to ensure the yatra’s continuity, Gandhi acknowledged the difficulty in overriding his security team’s recommendations. Asserting that it was the responsibility of the J&K administration to provide security, Gandhi expressed optimism that adequate security measures would be implemented for the remaining days of the yatra. “While I am uncertain about the reason behind the lapse, I hope such incidents do not recur tomorrow and the following days,” he remarked.
Challenges Amid Enthusiastic Reception: Gandhi’s Yatra in Kashmir:
Gandhi initiated his yatra from Banihal in the Jammu region, crossing the Jawahar Tunnel into the valley at Qazigund in a bulletproof vehicle. While the reception on this side of the tunnel was enthusiastic, security forces encountered challenges in controlling the hundreds of party supporters. The Congress released a video purportedly showing police personnel withdrawing from the site.
After passing through the Jawahar Tunnel, Gandhi and former J&K chief minister Omar Abdullah commenced their walk and received an enthusiastic welcome from local residents. The yatris were slated to cover a 9-km distance to Vessu in Anantnag district of south Kashmir, where they were scheduled to halt. Subsequently, the yatra was planned to proceed to the Khanabal area for an overnight stay.
However, Gandhi could only walk for about 500 meters after crossing the tunnel, amidst the crowd’s jostling to catch a glimpse of him. Despite heavy snowfall, a large number of people had gathered. Nonetheless, Gandhi’s security team advised him to halt due to the absence of police personnel to manage the substantial crowd. The yatra paused for approximately 20 minutes, during which Congress leaders, including AICC general secretary organization KC Venugopal, expressed concern over what they deemed a significant security lapse.
“Senior security officers need to provide answers for this. Why is this happening?” Venugopal queried reporters. Following the brief stop, Gandhi returned to his vehicle and proceeded to Khanabal. Abdullah corroborated the incident via a tweet, stating, “I witnessed this myself. The outer cordon maintained by the Jammu and Kashmir police disappeared within minutes of Rahul Gandhi beginning his walk.”
“Politics has its rightful sphere…”
Describing the incident as a “significant security breach,” Congress general secretary Jairam Ramesh stated that discussions are underway between Gandhi’s security team and the Jammu and Kashmir administration to ensure smooth operations in the coming days. “While politics has its realm, compromising Rahul Gandhi’s security in Jammu and Kashmir reflects the government’s moral low,” Ramesh tweeted in Hindi.
Ramesh noted that while there have been minor security lapses during the yatra, none as substantial as this. “The administration should have anticipated the size of the crowd in advance, but they underestimated it. The deployment of security forces was inadequate, leading Rahul ji to travel by car. This oversight by the administration is concerning,” he remarked, emphasizing the severity of the issue.
