This Article is From Sep 16, 2009

Train carrying Rahul Gandhi stoned, he is safe

New Delhi: The Amritsar-New Delhi Shatabdi Express carrying Rahul Gandhi was stoned on Tuesday night near Panipat, about 100 km from here, damaging the windowpanes of five coaches including the one in which the Congress leader was travelling.

There were no reports of any injury to any passenger while SPG sources said there was no threat to Rahul in the incident.

Windowpanes of coaches C1, C2, C3, C4, C7 and C8 were broken when some children stoned the train while it was approaching a rail crossing near Ghokrunda station in Panipat district in Haryana, according to a Northern Railways spokesman here. The train was travelling at a speed of 20 km per hour at the time of the incident, he said.

The spokesman said 39-year-old Rahul was in the C-3 bogie amid reports that the scion of the Nehru-Gandhi dynasty was not perturbed by the incident.

A crack developed in the window of the C-3 compartment while the windowpane of the adjacent coach C2 was badly damaged, found a PTI correspondent who saw the train on its return to New Delhi railway station late on Tuesday night.

Rahul was returning to the national capital from Ludhiana where he boarded the train after addressing Youth Congrress workers of Punjab.

The spokesman said the train did not halt and continued with its journey.

The staff at the railway crossing was being questioned in connection with the incident, the sources said.
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