'Rahul Gandhi not following security protocol': CRPF's letter to Kharge, flags ‘uninformed’ foreign tours

New Delhi, Sep 11
The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) on Thursday wrote a letter to Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge, raising red flags over the violation of security protocols by Rahul Gandhi himself.

The letter, raising concerns over the Leader of Opposition’s security protocol breach, has been written by CRPF VVIP Security chief Sunil June.

The CRPF chief, in the letter dated September 10, has accused Rahul Gandhi of not following security protocols and often violating them on multiple occasions. He claimed that the Rae Bareli MP, despite being a political figure with a VVIP profile, was not taking his security seriously.

The development comes on the heels of a security breach at Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Rae Bareli, the Lok Sabha constituency that he represents.

During his visit on Wednesday, the Congress MP faced protests and opposition from BJP workers, who blocked the highway and raised slogans like ‘Rahul Gandhi, go back’. While the police tried to disperse the protesters, Rahul’s convoy stood stuck on the highway for about 15 minutes. Police and protesters were engaged in a verbal squabble, and it was only after the cops prevailed over the latter that Rahul’s convoy could pass through.

The CRPF chief also raised concerns over Rahul Gandhi’s frequent foreign tours, which are not informed and reported to his security team in advance.

“In the past 9 months, Rahul violated security protocol during 6 foreign tours. All these 6 foreign tours were done without informing the security agency, due to which the security agency had to face big problems,” the letter reportedly said.

Notably, Rahul Gandhi comes under the VVIP category and enjoys Z+ protection cover. As per the security protocol, VVIP personalities like him, equipped with Z plus ASL security, are required to inform their security agency 15 days before a foreign tour, but the Congress leader has failed to keep the security team informed and updated.

Rahul Gandhi's recent visit to Malaysia was mocked by the BJP as a ‘holiday trip amidst VP polls’ while the pictures also showed him walking on a foreign land, without any security.