PM Modi’s visit on Aug 24, but report on January security breach awaited

Anirudh Gupta

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Ferozepur, August 18

As Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit Mohali on August 24, questions loom over the outcome of the inquiry into the PM’s security breach in Ferozepur on January 5.

In a major security lapse, the PM’s convoy, which was heading for Ferozepur from Bhisiana Air Force Station, Bathinda, had got stranded on a flyover for 15 to 20 minutes due to a blockade by the protesters near Piareana village.

PGI satellite centre hangs fire

• The PGI satellite centre, which was to be inaugurated by PM Modi on January 5, is yet to see the light of the day
• Home Minister Amit Shah during his visit to Ferozepur in February said the satellite centre would be inaugurated on Baisakhi
• Replying to a question in the Vidhan Sabha, BJP state chief Ashwani Sharma assured that the PM would soon inaugurate the satellite centre

Following the incident, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA)-constituted team visited the spot on January 7 to take stock of the situation and summoned several officials, including then DGP Siddharth Chattopadhyaya and ADGP Nageshwar Rao, besides 13 other officials who were directly or indirectly responsible for the PM’s security. Even the Deputy Commissioners and the Senior Superintendents of Police of three districts were issued a show-cause notice.

Amid allegations, former CM Charanjit Singh Channi had also constituted a committee comprising retired Justice Mehtab Singh Gill and Principal Secretary, Home affairs and Justice, Anurag Verma to conduct an investigation into the security lapse.

On January 13, the Supreme Court appointed a five-member committee headed by retired Justice Indu Malhotra. It also included the Inspector General of National Investigation Agency, Director General of Police, Chandigarh, the Registrar General of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Additional DGP (Security) of the Punjab Police.

The apex court had stayed the proceedings of the inquiry committees’ set up by the Centre and the state government and had directed the Registrar General of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to provide all the documents related to the security arrangements made by the state government to the panel head.

Later, the panel headed by Justice Malhotra also visited the spot and summoned several officials to Delhi to appear before the committee. However, the inquiry report has not been made public so far.