INDIA: A Supreme Court-appointed committee exposed the mistakes made by a crucial Punjab police officer in connection with PM Modi’s security breach earlier this year, embarrassing Congress.
The Supreme Court established a 5-member committee headed by retired top court judge Indu Malhotra to investigate the security breakdown after a group calling itself “Lawyer’s Voice” filed a petition asking for an independent investigation into this.
This panel was tasked with identifying the perpetrators of the security breach, the severity of the offence, appropriate corrective action, and recommendations for improving the security of constitutional officials.
The CJI declared: “For PM security, corrective actions and safety precautions are required. It is recommended that an oversight committee be established, police officers are trained in accordance with the Blue Book, and security arrangements be made for VVIP visits.” At the same time, they noted that several corrective actions had been recommended to increase PM Modi’s security.
The bench announced that it would forward the report to the Center for necessary action. The security breakdown occurred while the Congress-led administration of Charanjit Singh Channi was in office.
PM Modi’s security lapse
Before the Punjab Assembly elections, PM Modi was compelled to cancel his appearance at the Ferozepur rally on January 5 due to security concerns that arose after his arrival. The issue arose when the PM chose to take the road rather than the air route to the National Martyrs Memorial in Hussainwala because of the bad weather.
The PM’s convoy was reportedly subject to a serious security lapse because of a road blockage that kept it stationary for 15 to 20 minutes about 30 kilometres from its destination, according to the Ministry of Home Affairs.
The MHA further stated that PM Modi returned to the Bathinda Airport due to the Punjab government not deploying additional security as part of the contingency plan. Additionally, it required a thorough investigation and strict action by the Punjabi Congress government.
The MHA and the Punjab government both established committees to look into the security failings, but after the apex court took up the issue, the committees’ operations were suspended.
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