The remarkable feat of a Karnataka man, who threw a garland that landed perfectly around Rahul Gandhi’s neck, has landed him in trouble with the police. The incident occurred in Tumakuru district on Wednesday, where Rahul was campaigning in his fifth pre-poll election rally in the poll-bound state.
The video of the incident has gone viral on social media. AICC’s social and digital media head Divya Spandana shared the video on Twitter, along with other party members.
Karnataka’s got talent! pic.twitter.com/qkQqaefefe
— Divya Spandana/Ramya (@divyaspandana) April 5, 2018
The Congress President was touring in his campaign vehicle on BH road, waving unsuspectingly at supporters on either side of the road when the garland landed on him. In the video, Rahul appears momentarily startled by the garland, but quickly recovers and resumes waving at the crowd.
Reports suggest that IGP Central Range B Dayananda has asked Tumakuru district Superintendent of Police to probe the matter. SP Divya Gopinath could not be reached for a comment.
The incident is being investigated as a security breach. The top brass of the state police are on the lookout for the unidentified garland-thrower, who is suspected to be a local Congress supporter. Some reports suggest that Rahul’s own Special Protection Group is also probing the incident.
Rahul’s Tumakuru trip included a visit to the 111-year-old Lingayat seer Shivakumara Swami at the popular Siddaganga mutt on Wednesday. He had earlier visited the BJP stronghold of Shivamogga, the hometown of BS Yeddyurappa, BJP’s chief ministerial face, and also of KS Eshwarappa, the Leader of Opposition in the Legislative Council.
The Congress president is set to resume his campaign in the state very soon. He will address a rally in Chikkaballapur on April 7, and another one in Bengaluru on April 8. During his stay in Bengaluru, he is scheduled to interact with IT industry professionals and Safai Karamcharis as part of his pre-election canvassing.