AIMIM leader claims stones pelted at Vande Bharat train in which Owaisi was travelling; police deny

A spokesperson of the All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) has alleged that stones were pelted at the Vande Bharat train in which party president Asaduddin Owaisi was travelling in poll-bound Gujarat.

Police, however, denied the claim and said a probe was on into the incident which took place on Monday.

AIMIM national spokesperson Waris Pathan said the incident took place before the train reached Surat on Monday evening where Owaisi, the Lok Sabha member from Hyderabad, was scheduled to attend a public rally as part of his election campaigning in the state, where the Assembly polls are scheduled on December 1 and 5.

Pathan also said he has some photographs to prove his claim.

"Asaduddin Owaisi Saheb, Sabir Kabliwala sir, me and the team of AIMIM were traveling in the Vande Bharat Express train from Ahmedabad to Surat when some unidentified persons pelted stones at the train and broke its glass," he claimed.

However, Superintendent of Police, Western Railway, Rajesh Parmar on Tuesday said some "grit" hit the train's glass window due to engineering work underway on the track near Ankleshwar in Bharuch district where the alleged incident took place.

"It was not a case of stone-pelting," the official said, adding that Owaisi was sitting away from the window.

The cracked window was changed, and an officer of the level of deputy superintendent of police (DySP) was conducting a probe into the incident, he said.

At the rally in Surat on Monday night, Pathan claimed two stones were thrown one after the other. The stones were heavy enough to break the glass window glass where Owaisi was sitting along with his team members, he said.

"(Prime Minister) Modiji, what is happening? Sometimes animals are run over by the Vande Bharat. When we were 22-25 km away from Surat, I can say this on the basis of a display put in the train, a stone hit?? the train window. Owaisi was sitting there when the stone cracked the window glass," the AIMIM leader said addressing the gathering.

"It was a heavy stone that cracked the window glass. In another 10-15 seconds, another stone landed. Do whatever, throw a stone, spray fire, but the voice of right will not stop," he said, adding that he has the proof of the incident in the form of photographs.

Pathan also shared on his Twitter handle the photographs of the broken glass window and Owaisi and other members of the AIMIM sitting in the train.

However, SP Parmar said it was not a case of stone-pelting.

"The window was damaged due to something hitting it as engineering work was going on the track at Ankleshwar in Bharuch where the incident took place. The damaged window was changed," he said.

Six jawans of the Railway Protection Force (RPF) and three of the Government Railway Police (GRP) were present at all the four doors of the coach in which Owaisi was travelling, the official said.

"The train was running slow as engineering work was underway there. The window developed a crack as something hit it, although it was not a case of stone-pelting," he said.

"The engineering department said some grit flew and hit the window glass. The window was changed. A DySP-level officer is investigating the incident," Parmar added.