Breach in Rahul Gandhi's security: Man carrying pistol detained

Aligarh (UP), July 7 (ANI): A man carrying a pistol has been detained by Congress General Secretary Rahul Gandhi's Special Protection Guard (SPG) in Jikarpur village of Aligarh District in Uttar Pradesh.

The SPG spotted Hari Mohan Sharma being close to Rahul Gandhi during his yatra.

The incident took place two hours after Gandhi resumed his padyatra to Aligarh.

Gandhi's padyatra today enters its third day and he is scheduled to visit Jevar in Gautam Budh Nagar District. He is also likely to meet farmers along the Yamuna Expressway.

Nearly two months after he was whisked away by Uttar Pradesh police officials for joining a farmers' protest, Gandhi has dared the BSP regime again by undertaking a four-day march to a Congress-organised kisan maha panchayat in Aligarh to get a feel of the heartland's simmering land problems.

The Congress had planned the kisan mahapanchayat at Bhatta- Parsaul, where two villagers had died in police firing, but was forced to shift the venue to Aligarh's exhibition grounds following pressure from the state government.

On Wednesday, Gandhi resumed his yatra at 6:30 a.m.. By 7 p.m., he had covered five villages. Seven hours in the afternoon were spent resting at a farmer's home. Then, it was back to the road.

On Tuesday at 6.15 a.m., Gandhi, accompanied by just three SPG, reached Bhatta village, the epicentre of farmers' protest against land acquisition, in his vehicle.

He met villagers briefly at the same dharna spot where he had earlier held a panchayat on May 11.

From there, he proceeded on foot through villages of Parsaul, Acchepur, Mirzapur, Kheda Waipur and also stopped briefly at Rustampur.

Meanwhile, Mayawati Government has denied Gandhi permission to hold a rally in Bhatta Parsaul.

The Congress machinery is establishing contact with farmer groups in and around the region where acquisition of land has been a major source of confrontation between them and the police (ANI)