Rahul Gandhi’s convoy vehicles collide on Purvanchal Expressway in UP; several injured

New Delhi, October 26 (IANS) Several people were injured after vehicles in Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's convoy collided with each other on the Purvanchal Expressway in Uttar Pradesh's Sultanpur district on Monday. However, Rahul Gandhi was safe.The accident reportedly occurred near the 91-km milestone in the Haliyapur area, where five vehicles from the convoy and an ambulance collided. Party workers, officials and security personnel were among those injured in the incident.Rahul Gandhi is on a visit to Uttar Pradesh on Monday and is scheduled to appear before a special MP-MLA court in Sultanpur in connection with a defamation case involving alleged objectionable remarks against Amit Shah, the then-BJP president and current Union Home Minister.The court is scheduled to pronounce its verdict in the case on Monday. Gandhi is required to appear in person before the court for the pronouncement of the judgment, the complainant's counsel, Santosh Kumar Pandey, said.Additional Civil Judge Shubham Verma had earlier scheduled the verdict for October 13.According to Sultanpur Superintendent of Police Vineet Jaiswal, Gandhi was expected to travel by road from Lucknow to Sultanpur and arrive at around 10 a.m., as per his scheduled itinerary.The police have made arrangements to ensure security in and around the court premises, with adequate personnel expected to be deployed to maintain law and order during the proceedings.The defamation case dates back to August 4, 2018, when BJP leader Vijay Mishra, a former chairman of the Sultanpur District Cooperative Bank, filed a complaint against Gandhi over his alleged remarks about Amit Shah.The alleged remarks were made during a campaign rally in Bengaluru ahead of the 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections.The case has since been heard by the special MP-MLA court in Sultanpur, which is now scheduled to deliver its verdict.Further details regarding the accident, including the number of injured persons and the extent of their injuries, are awaited.