The Congress has alleged a threat to the life of party chief Rahul Gandhi. Writing a letter to Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Congress workers claimed a breach in Rahul Gandhi’s security during his Amethi visit.

In the letter, the Congress claimed that a laser was pointed at Rahul Gandhi at least seven times as he visited Amethi. “A perusal of his interaction will reflect that a laser was pointed at his head, on at least 7 separate occasions,” says the letter.

It has been claimed that the laser light could have emanated from a sniper gun. “A perusal of the video by various persons including former security personnel leads to a prima facie conclusion that this laser could emanate from a potential weapon such as a sniper gun,” says the Congress letter.

The letter has been signed by Congress leaders Ahmed Patel, Randeep Surjewala and Jairam Ramesh.

Rahul Gandhi was in Amethi on April 10 to file his nomination for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections. The letter claims that after filing his nomination, Rahul Gandhi addressed the media when the laser light was pointed at him. Congress has submitted a pen drive containing the media interaction.

The laser light was focussed twice on Rahul Gandhi’s forehead, said the letter.

Congress said that in light of two members of the Gandhi family, Indira Gandhi and Rajiv Gandhi being assassinated, the news of a potential assassin targetting Rahul Gandhi was “distressing” and “shocking”.

The party urged the UP administration to set aside political differences and ensure the safety of Rahul Gandhi and “neutralize the threat”.

Rahul Gandhi being a high-risk target is especially vulnerable during the extensive electioneering in the ongoing 2019 elections, the letter said.