In a letter to Union home minister Amit Shah, the Congress claimed that the Bharat Jodo Yatra’s security was repeatedly jeopardised when it entered the capital on December 24 and that the Delhi Police failed to contain the swollen crowd and establish a perimeter around Rahul Gandhi.
The party accused the Intelligence Bureau of harassment and said some of the yatra participants have been questioned. “The situation was so severe that the Congress workers and Bharat Jodo Yatris had to form a perimeter around Rahul Gandhi. …the Delhi Police remained mute spectators,” said the letter. It pointed out Gandhi is the highest Z+ protectee.
Z+ category protectees are provided with a pilot vehicle, a bulletproof car, priority on the roadways, and round-the-clock security at their homes, places of business, or wherever else they visit.
The letter referred to alleged harassment during the yatra, Congress’s biggest public outreach in decades. “We filed an FIR [First Information Report] dated 23 December 2022 at Sohna City Police station regarding unknown miscreants belonging to Haryana state intelligence illegally entering Bharat Jodo Yatra containers in Haryana.”
The Congress urged the government to safeguard Gandhi’s safety and security and refrain from engaging in “vindictive politics.” Every person has the freedom to congregate and travel throughout India, it was added.
“Bharat Jodo Yatra is a Padyatra [foot march] to bring peace and harmony to the country,” said the letter signed by Congress leader K C Venugopal.
It said the yatra is slated to enter the sensitive states of Punjab and Jammu & Kashmir in the next phase from January 3. “…I request you to take immediate steps to ensure the safety and security of Rahul Gandhi and of all the Bharat Jodo Yatris and leaders joining the Bharat Jodo Yatra,” the letter said.
On Saturday last, Gandhi led the yatra through important parts of the capital. Since September 7, the march has travelled across nine states—Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, and Haryana—and over 3,000 kilometres.
In the midst of internal strife and electoral defeats, the Congress launched the 3,500km yatra in May 2022 during its three-day brainstorming session in Udaipur.