Imphal: Congressman Rahul Gandhi met villagers in Churachandpur, Manipur, who had been displaced by ethnic turmoil on Thursday. He arrived by helicopter, hours behind schedule, because the state police had stopped his convoy of vehicles midway out of fear of violence.
Gandhi visited a refugee camp and spoke with the people living there.
Approximately 20 kilometres outside of Imphal, in Bishnupur, police halted the Congress leader's convoy out of an abundance of caution due to possible attacks on it.
To get to Churachandpur, Rahul Gandhi used a helicopter provided by the state government. A source at the airport revealed that he was accompanied by "top police and administration officials" aboard the chopper.
Demonstrators at Bishnupur, some of whom supported him continuing on to Churanchandpur and some of whom did not, were met with tear gas by local police.
Many ladies, among Gandhi's many other female admirers, marched to the streets of Bishnupur to urge that he be permitted to travel to Churachandpur.
As one of the ladies put it, "If (Union Home Minister) Amit Shah could go to Churachandpur, why not Rahul Gandhi?"—Inputs from Agencies
