Sultanpur (UP) | Some vehicles in Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's convoy collided on the Purvanchal Expressway on Monday while he was on his way to Sultanpur for a court hearing in a defamation case against him, a police officer said.

The Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha was safe, the officer said, adding the incident was not serious and no major injuries were reported.

The incident occurred around 10.15 am when a private vehicle at the front of the convoy, belonging to local Congress leaders, suddenly applied the brakes for an unspecified reason, causing vehicles behind it to collide with one another, the officer told PTI.

The vehicles involved in the pile up had joined the convoy midway with passengers, including Congress workers from neighbouring Amethi district, police said.

Congress spokesman Anshu Awasthi told PTI that Gandhi is safe and that his vehicle wasn't involved in the accident "Rahul ji is completely safe. It was a minor brush as his motorcade moved along the expressway," he said.

The officer said the convoy soon resumed its journey towards Sultanpur.

The convoy, accompanied by police personnel for security, reached the Sultanpur court around 11.15 am for the hearing in the defamation case against Gandhi, the officer said.

The case relates to alleged objectionable remarks made by Gandhi against then BJP president Amit Shah at a rally in Bengaluru ahead of the 2018 Karnataka Assembly elections.