Rahul takes bike to Mandsaur, leaves behind his security

Congress Vice President Rahul Gandhi on Thursday sent his security personnel into a tizzy after he took a bike ride to reach Mandsaur in Madhya Pradesh where police shot dead five protesting farmers.

Gandhi entered Madhya Pradesh by car from Rajasthan in a cavalcade of Congress leaders and activists.

As he entered Neemuch district, he saw a group of policemen near a toll plaza deployed to stop him. Gandhi immediately switched over to a motorcycle and gave them -- as well as his own NSG personnel -- the slip.

A party activist drove the bike. Congress leader Sachin Pilot also took a motorcycle to accompany Gandhi.

They took a narrow lane through Chinta Khera village to reach Mandsaur to express solidarity with the families of farmers killed when the police opened fire on them on Tuesday.

Earlier, the Madhya Pradesh government denied permission to Gandhi to visit Mandsaur.

Farmers in Madhya Pradesh have been on strike since June 1 demanding that their loans be scrapped and their produce be bought at a fair price.

--IANS

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