Rahul Gandhis convoy vehicles collide with ambulance while on way to UP court hearing; Congress MPs car unaffected
The affected vehicles included several cars and an ambulance that was travelling with the convoy.
PTC News Desk: Vehicles travelling in Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s convoy collided on the Purvanchal Expressway in Sultanpur district of Uttar Pradesh on Monday. According to initial reports, Gandhi’s car was not involved in the accident and remained safe.
The incident took place near kilometre marker 89.5, under the jurisdiction of Haliyapur police station.
A police officer said the collision occurred at around 10:15 am when a private vehicle belonging to local Congress leaders, travelling ahead of the other vehicles in the convoy, suddenly applied the brakes for an unknown reason. Vehicles behind it then crashed into one another.
The affected vehicles included several cars and an ambulance that was travelling with the convoy. The ambulance is reportedly a regular part of Gandhi’s security convoy.
After the incident, the convoy resumed its journey towards Sultanpur, the police officer said. Gandhi was travelling from Lucknow to appear before a special MP/MLA court in connection with a criminal defamation case dating back to 2018. He was expected to reach the court at around 11:15 am.
Further details about the cause of the collision, the extent of the damage and whether anyone was injured were not immediately available.
Rahul Gandhi's defamation case
The Sultanpur court was scheduled to deliver its verdict in a defamation case filed against Gandhi over remarks he allegedly made about then-BJP president Amit Shah during a campaign rally in Bengaluru ahead of the 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections.
BJP leader Vijay Mishra, a former chairman of the Sultanpur District Cooperative Bank, filed the complaint on August 4, 2018. According to the complainant’s lawyer, Santosh Kumar Pandey, Gandhi was required to appear in person before the special MP/MLA court for the judgment.
The case has been pending for several years. Gandhi surrendered before the court in February 2024 and was granted bail. His statement was recorded in July 2024, after which the court recorded the statements of the complainant and other witnesses.