A three-member committee, constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to probe the breach in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security during his visit to Punjab on Wednesday, summoned Punjab Director General of Police, Siddharth Chattopadhyaya and nearly a dozen top state police officers in its day-one visit to the state on Friday, said sources. The Supreme Court too directed the Registrar General of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to secure and preserve the travel records of Prime Minister Narendra Modi during his visit to Punjab forthwith. Also on Friday the Ferozepur Police filed an FIR against 150 unknown persons for blocking the National Highway that led to security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Punjab on Wednesday.
The FIR was registered on Thursday at Kulgari police station in Ferozepur district under Section 283 IPC which relates to danger or obstruction in public way or public line of navigation. The Prime Minister’s convoy was stuck on a flyover for 15-20 minutes due to road blockage by some protestors about 30 km away from the National Martyrs Memorial in Hussainiwala.
The MHA team started detailed questioning of these police officers after visiting the spot where PM Modi’s convoy was stuck for nearly 20 minutes and the place where he was going to attend an event. The three-member committee led by Sudhir Kumar Saxena, Secretary (Security), Cabinet Secretariat and comprising Balbir Singh, Joint Director, Intelligence Bureau and S. Suresh, IG, SPG enquired about many unanswered questions with the Punjab Police officers.
Among the officers were Ferozepur’s Director General of Police and Senior Superintendent of Police who had key responsibility for the clearance of PM Modi’s route.
Punjab’s Additional Director General and Patiala Inspector General were also among the over a dozen top officers of Punjab Police who were summoned by the MHA committee to fix the responsibility of those guilty as it was the job of the state police to assist the Special Protection Group in managing a hurdles-free route for PM Modi’s convoy.
As per sources, all Punjab Police officers were asked about their roles and responsibilities and fix the faults that resulted in the PM’s security breach.
The Centre is considering action under the Special Protection Group (SPG) Act against Punjab Police officers. Section 14 of the SPG Act makes the state government responsible for providing all assistance to the SPG during the PM’s movement.
The provision, titled “Assistance to Group”, states: “It shall be the duty of every Ministry and Department of the Central Government or the State Government or the Union Territory Administration, every Indian Mission, every local or other authority or every civil or military authority to act in aid of the Director or any member of the Group whenever called upon to do so in furtherance of the duties and responsibilities assigned to such Director or member.”
The MHA team, which reached Ferozepur late on Thursday night, started its probe with the visit at the flyover where the PM’s convoy was stuck due to a road blockade by protesters during his visit.
The MHA team reached the flyover around 10 am and enquired about the lapses in PM’s security with some senior Punjab Police officers visiting the site with them.
The team walked almost 1 km to the flyover, checking things in detail. They also showed to Punjab Police officers some specific pictures and videos available on social media regarding PM’s convoy stuck on the flyover and asked related questions.
The MHA team spent nearly one hour on the flyover and then left for the Border Security Force office in Ferozepur.
The team also visited National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala in Ferozepur where the Prime Minister was slated to visit but the programme was cancelled as his convoy was stuck on the flyover.
The committee will also meet authorities in the Punjab government who were responsible to arrange security management for the Prime Minister in coordination with the SPG.
The Punjab government has also constituted a high-level committee to probe the incident.
IN COURT
As for the Supreme Court, a Bench of Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana, Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli directed the Punjab government and police authorities, SPG in charge of PM’s security and other Central and state agencies to cooperate and provide necessary assistance to seal the entire record. As Solicitor General Tushar Mehta, appearing for the Centre, insisted on the presence of an NIA official to assist the Registrar General, the apex court ordered that the DGP of Chandigarh along with an NIA officer can assist the Registrar General in the collection of records.
The apex court also asked the Committees of both the Centre and Punjab to hold their hands in proceeding with any inquiry relating to the Prime Minister’s visit to Punjab till Monday, the next date of hearing.
Senior advocate D.S. Patwalia, Advocate General of Punjab, during the hearing, requested the Bench to pass an order to put on hold the proceedings of the Committee constituted by the Centre till Monday as the Committee has issued notices to the Punjab DGP and state officials. Patwalia said Punjab will put on hold the operations of its Committee.
To this, Solicitor General told the apex court that the Central Committee is not looking into the larger issue and is constituted only for internal purposes.
CJI Ramana told Solicitor General that the Punjab government is saying if Centre has an issue with the state committee, Punjab also has reservations about the Central committee and asked both of them to put on hold the inquiry of their committees.
The top court was hearing a PIL seeking a judicial probe into the breach of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security while on a visit to Punjab.
During the hearing, Solicitor General told the Bench that the lapse raises an angle of potential cross border terrorism. It could have led to an international embarrassment regarding the Prime Minister’s security and the investigation should rise above Central and State politics, Mehta added.
Mehta contended that whenever PM’s cavalcade moves, the DG of the State concerned is to be consulted first and only when he clears, PM’s cavalcade moves.
“Here, the incharge gave that signal. He didn’t say there was a blockage. Though the local police were very much there enjoying tea according to videos, they didn’t inform that there is a blockade. Now imagine, the motorcade is on flyover with protectee, there are trucks and tractors blocking. A serious mishap could have happened. It would have been a subject of international embarrassment,” he added.
Saying that videos of the incident were uploaded by a banned terrorist organization Sikhs for Justice, Solicitor General argued that there could be an angle of cross-border terrorism.
Solicitor General added that this matter cannot be left to just anyone and thus let it be with a district judge but with an NIA official assisting the judge.
Advocate General of Punjab D.S. Patwalia said that the State wants a neutral investigation into the incident and it was not taking the security lapse lightly.
“State is not taking this issue lightly, there has been a lapse somewhere, and State is doing everything to look into it”, the Advocate General said. He said that an FIR has been registered after taking cognisance of the incident while adding that the State Government will not object to top court order an investigation or appointing a person to monitor the probe.
“If Court may appoint anyone to investigate, a former judge of High Court or Supreme Court may be appointed as the court deems fit,” Patwalia added.
Senior advocate Maninder Singh appearing for petitioner Lawyers’ Voice, argued that Prime Minister’s security is not merely a law and order problem but it falls under Special Protection Groups (SPG) Act. Security under the SPG Act is not an issue of State subject of law and order. Issue of PM protection is a national security issue and comes under parliamentary purview.
The plea alleged that PM’s security breach was a deliberate lapse on part of the State and seeks preservation of evidence on security arrangements and action against “erring” officials of the Punjab government.
SIDHU SLAMS CAPTAIN
In a scathing attack on former Chief Minister Captain Amarinder Singh, Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu on Friday termed him as the Centre’s “parrot” and asked the BJP to stop playing politics or they will get a benefitting reply referring to the growing chorus for the imposition of the President’s Rule in the state.
Defending the Channi government in Punjab which is facing questions over the security breach of Prime Minister, Sidhu said, “All that is being talked about for the past couple of days is security. And there are a few parrots who are mindlessly repeating security, security, security. And the foremost among those parrots are our former chief minister Amarinder Singh,” Sidhu claimed.
“They (BJP) must stop playing politics. You will get a befitting reply here. All those talking about President’s Rule (in Punjab), are your (BJP) parrots,” Sindhu attacked the BJP.
HIMANTA BISWA SARMA REACTS
Amid the row over Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security breach, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Friday questioned that if the same thing happened with Congress interim president Sonia Gandhi and party leader Rahul Gandhi, if that would be acceptable to Congress.
Addressing the media in Guwahati, Sarma said the Congress high command should have sacked Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi. “They will not get anything by making the life of PM vulnerable. Congress is going to suffer politically. But beyond politics in India, we should not have allowed this kind of partisan politics… The Congress high command should have sacked Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi after this security lapse,” he said.
“By not taking action, they want to institutionalize this case. If tomorrow Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi came to Assam and I did the same drama, will it be acceptable? So now if as a BJP CM I take a position that I will enact the same drama and will keep them in the streets for hours, then the same people will start criticising me. I think we should not set a bad example in our politics irrespective of party politics,” he further said.
“Most of the time even when Rahul Gandhi and Sonia Gandhi come to various states then they will be dependent for their own security. I don’t know why they are playing such a dangerous game. I am not giving them a warning. If they come to Assam we will ensure full security. I won’t do tit for tat,” Sarma said.