At the dead of night a high-voltage drama unfolded outside Pilibhit jail when it's most high profile inmate Varun Gandhi, BJP's new saffron soldier, was shifted to Etah jail.
He was whisked away in a heavily guarded convoy of police vehicles which was chased by media.
Varun left Pilibhit jail at 12.35 am on Wednesday night. The van taking Varun then drove through Bareilly at 1.15 am and left for Badayun.
At 2.30 am he reached Badayaun and 3.30 am he reached Kasganj.
Finally, he reached Etah jail at 4 am on Wednesday morning. Etah jail is roughly 200 kms away from Pilibhit jail.
A little ahead of Bareilly, the media was stopped but the chase resumed after a while.
As each district boundary came to an end, new vehicles took charge to secure Varun.
Maneka Gandhi and Varun's lawyers will now have to come to Etah jail to meet him.
Political tempers are rising in Pilibhit with the VHP and RSS calling a bandh on Wednesday. It seems that the Mayawati government wants to avoid a situation where Pilibhit becomes a major flashpoint and thought it best to shift Varun out. This would in its calculation prevent Varun from becoming a rallying point for the saffron groups.
Varun's midnight shift also comes amid reports that he was on the D-gang's hit list. Dreaded gangster Chhota Shakeel had reportedly ordered the elimination of Varun Gandhi the day he was to surrender at a Pilibhit court.
According to reports, the Intelligence Bureau had intercepted a telephonic communication on March 21 from the Karachi-based don for this 'special assignment' to his key shooter Rashid Malbari.
The IB had alerted the UP home department on March 22, after which Varun's 'on-way' security was doubled.
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