Cyclist on runway as Mulayam's plane lands

Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav had a narrow escape on Sunday morning when a cyclist suddenly appeared on the runway just as his plane was landing at the Saifai aerodrome in Uttar Pradesh's Etawah district.

Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav had a narrow escape on Sunday morning when a cyclist suddenly appeared on the runway just as his plane was landing at the Saifai aerodrome in Uttar Pradesh's Etawah district.

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Mulayam Singh, who was on his way from Delhi to Lucknow, had made a brief stopover at Saefai, about 250 km from Lucknow. He described the incident as a "serious security lapse", which he attributed to the Mayawati administration.

"It is the Mayawati government, whose sub-divisional magistrate is supposed to take care of the airport safety and security, therefore it is surely an official lapse," Mulayam Singh told reporters in Lucknow.

"I am grateful to god almighty to have saved my life," he added.

The airport was built in the village during Mulayam Singh's chief ministerial stint and was used essentially by him and his close kin.

A police official in Saifai said over phone: "The cyclist was someone who had been deputed to shoo away a blue-bull that had strayed close to the runway."