Maha: Man from Tamil Nadu taking part in Bharat Jodo Yatra dies after being hit by truck; Rahul expresses grief

A 62-year-old man from Tamil Nadu died and another person from that state was injured after being hit by a truck in Maharashtra's Nanded district when they were participating in the Congress's ongoing Bharat Jodo Yatra, a police official said on Friday.

They were walking back to Pimpalgaon Mahadeo village in Ardhapur tehsil for the yatra's night camp after attending Rahul Gandhi's public rally in Nanded on Thursday when the accident occurred around 8.20 pm, he said.

Rahul Gandhi expressed grief over the incident, saying a ''true soldier of the party and a beloved companion on the Bharat Jodo Yatra'' has been lost. The accident took place under the jurisdiction of Ardhapur police station limits, he said.

''A truck hit two participants of the Bharat Jodo Yatra, when they were returning to Pimpalgaon Mahadeo camp of the yatra after attending Rahul Gandhi's rally,'' the official from Ardhapur police station said. The deceased was identified as Ganesan Ponraman, a native of Thanjavur, he said, adding that another yatri named Sayayul (30), also from Tamil Nadu, suffered a minor injury in the accident, he said.

In a Facebook post, Rahul Gandhi said, ''Deeply saddened by the demise of our fellow Yatri, Shri P Ganesan ji. He was a committed worker of the Congress, who had participated in every Yatra and campaign of the party over the past 3 decades. In him, we have lost a true soldier of the party and a beloved companion on the Bharat Jodo Yatra.'' ''I express my deepest condolences to his family and well wishers. His dedication to the country and the Congress party will serve as an inspiration to all of us in our endeavour to unite our country,'' he added. The Bharat Jodo Yatra, which arrived in Maharashtra on November 7, has entered its 65th day. After Nanded, the yatra will go to neighbouring Hingoli district. The yatra, the Congress's mass contact initiative, will traverse through 15 Assembly and 6 parliamentary constituencies in Maharashtra during its 14-day sojourn. It will cover a distance of 382 kms across five districts before entering Madhya Pradesh on November 20.

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