Rahul Gandhi's convoy vehicles collide on Purvanchal Expressway; Congress leader safe, many injured

Several vehicles in Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's convoy collided with an ambulance on the Purvanchal Expressway in Uttar Pradesh on Monday, October 26. Rahul Gandhi remained safe in the incident, while several Congress workers and security personnel were reportedly injured. 

The accident took place near Haliyapur in Sultanpur district, around 100 km from Lucknow. According to reports, five vehicles at the rear of the convoy were involved in the collision with an ambulance near the 91-km milestone of the expressway. Gandhi's vehicle was not involved in the crash. According to a police officer quoted by PTI, the incident occurred at around 10.15 am when a private vehicle belonging to local Congress leaders suddenly applied the brakes, causing vehicles behind it to collide. The convoy briefly halted before resuming its journey towards Sultanpur. 

The exact number of people injured and the severity of their injuries were not immediately clear in the initial reports. However, those reportedly affected included Congress workers, party office-bearers and security personnel accompanying the convoy.

Why was Rahul Gandhi travelling to Sultanpur?

Rahul Gandhi, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress MP from Rae Bareli, was travelling from Lucknow to Sultanpur to appear before a special MP-MLA court in connection with a 2018 criminal defamation case.

The case relates to alleged remarks Gandhi made about then BJP national president Amit Shah during a press conference in Bengaluru in May 2018. A complaint was subsequently filed against Gandhi by Vijay Mishra, a former chairman of the District Cooperative Bank in Sultanpur and a BJP district vice-president. 

The court was scheduled to pronounce its verdict in the case on Monday. Gandhi arrived at Lucknow's Chaudhary Charan Singh International Airport earlier in the day, where Congress workers and local party leaders gathered to welcome him before he continued his journey to Sultanpur. 

Further details about the collision and the condition of those injured were awaited.