“Rahul Gandhi Has Violated Protocol 113 Times”: Central Force Hits Back

In response to the Congress accusation of security lapses during the December 24 march, the central paramilitary force CRPF said Rahul Gandhi breached security protocol on many occasions during the Delhi leg of the Bharat Jodo Yatra.

A day after writing to Union Home Minister Amit Shah to complain that Delhi Police had entirely failed to guarantee Mr. Gandhi’s security during the Yatra’s passage through the capital, Congress General Secretary KC Venugopal received a response from the central force. When the Yatra enters the sensitive areas of Punjab and Jammu and Kashmir, the party requested adequate security for the leader, who has Z+ cover.

According to the CRPF’s response, security plans for Mr. Gandhi are created by the CRPF in collaboration with the state police and other organisations. According to the force, a security liaison meeting was held two days prior to the event on December 24. An advance security liaison is a gathering of security organisations to organise the protection of a VIP during a significant event.

The CRPF said that on the day of the march, all security precautions were carefully adhered to, while the Delhi Police reported that there was an adequate deployment of security personnel.

Accusing Rahul Gandhi of repeatedly breaking security protocol, he said, “Security arrangements made for the protectee works fine when the protectee himself adheres to the security guidelines laid down. However, it is pointed out that on several occasions violations of laid down guidelines on the part of Shri Rahul Gandhi have been observed and this fact has been communicated to him from time to time.”

The paramilitary force said Mr Gandhi has broken protocol 113 times since 2020. “It may further be mentioned that during Delhi leg of Bharat Jodo Yatra, the protectee has violated security guidelines and CRPF will be taking up this matterseparately,” it added. The Delhi Police, which is a division of the Home Ministry, was accused by the Congress of failing “to manage the surging crowd and maintain a perimeter” around Mr. Gandhi on December 24 during the march.