Lucknow:
Sleeper coach S-3 of Gorakhpur-Mumbai Express had an unusual passenger on the night of October 18 - had anyone cared to check the reservation chart pasted outside, Rahul Gandhi was among the listed passengers. (
Read: Rahul Gandhi undertakes train journey from Gorakhpur to Mumbai)
With nine Special Protection Guards (SPG), Gandhi travelled in complete anonymity.
The move could have been interpreted as an attempt to telegraph his commitment to his party's aam admi line. But there were no cameras around.
In fact, in a sort of Bourne Identity type manouevre, one of India's most recognizable faces had managed to board the train and complete his journey without discovery by either politicians nor the media.
A few hours earlier, when a private plane landed at Gorakhpur, the police thought they were there to provide security to Union Minister of Commerce Anand Sharma. When Gandhi disembarked, they were caught off-guard.
Two privately-owned SUVs drove Gandhi and his SPG men to the railway station.
By the time the police managed to contact the SPG, Gandhi's train had pulled out of the district.
The UP police has now formally complained to the SPG about the incident. It has written to the Director of the National Security Guard (NSG) asking why it was not informed of Gandhi's plans. The UP police is expected to provide additional security to all SPG protectees.
Earlier this year, Gandhi visited parts of UP which had been flooded without sharing his plans with the state police. At that time, too, the Mayawati government had protested, stating that it would not be held responsible if his safety was compromised.
The Congress has pointed out that when Gandhi has made his plans for UP visits public, the state government has tried to thwart his attempts to mingle with people. Mayawati has also been openly critical of Gandhi's visits to the houses of Dalit families in her state, labeling them as media-savvy exercises.