Rahul Gandhi presently has Z+ category security cover.
A man in Punjab's Hoshiarpur today ran towards Congress MP Rahul Gandhi while he was walking during his pan-India foot march, the Bharat Jodo Yatra, and hugged him, raising concerns over his security cordon. A video clip of the incident showed a man lunging towards Mr Gandhi, who appears to be momentarily taken aback, and hugging him from the front, while security personnel and Congress workers pull the intruder away. Mr Gandhi then continues walking without pause.
However, Mr Gandhi, his party, and the Punjab police have all said that it was not a security breach.
"Why are you calling it a security lapse? It was not a lapse, there is a lot of enthusiasm. It's not a security lapse, the security cleared him," Rahul Gandhi said at a press conference soon afterwards.
"There was no security breach, people just want to meet Rahul Gandhi & he welcomes them, the man came near him after the security check and was very excited to meet Rahul Gandhi so suddenly hugged him," Amarinder Singh Raja Warring, Punjab Congress chief, said.
Hoshiarpur's Inspector General of Police, Law & Order Wing, GS Dhillon, said they don't let anyone enter the security box around him. "We also search everyone with hand-held metal detectors. There is nothing so far that I have verified and can be said a security breach," he said, according to news agency ANI.
The incident comes weeks after Congress flagged concerns over Mr Gandhi's security, alleging that there were several breaches. The grand old party demanded enhanced security cover for him. The Centre, and security forces, had shot back, saying Mr Gandhi himself had breached his security cover over 100 times since 2020.
Rahul Gandhi presently has Z+ category security cover, meaning eight to nine commandos are guarding him 24x7.
Security concerns have earlier been raised as Rahul Gandhi entered the border state of Punjab, which security agencies consider a sensitive area, on his way to Kashmir where he will conclude his yatra.
He has also been advised by security agencies to not walk certain stretches during the Bharat Jodo Yatra in Kashmir, NDTV has learnt.
A compressive security review is still going on, in which details about night halts are being worked out, an official has said.
The 52-year-old Congress leader is set to hoist the national flag in Banihal in the Ramban district of Jammu and Kashmir on January 25, and is scheduled to enter Srinagar via Anantnag two days later - on January 27.
As per plan, Mr Gandhi would enter Lakhanpur on January 19 and, after a night halt there, will proceed from Kathua's Hatli Morh next morning. It will again halt for the night at Chadwal. On the morning of January 21, it will start from Hiranagar to Duggar Haveli, and proceed from Vijaypur to Satwari on January 22.
"Some stretches are sensitive, so we have advised his team to identify people who would be in the inner cordon with him," a source told NDTV.