Supreme Court panel indicts Punjab Police for PM Modi security breach

Tribune News Service

Satya Prakash

New Delhi, August 25

A Supreme Court-appointed committee has indicted the Ferozepur SSP for a security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to the state in January this year.

In its report submitted to the top court, the Justice Indu Malhotra (retd) committee said the Ferozepur SSP failed to discharge his duty of maintaining law and order despite clear instructions, even though sufficient force was available and he was informed two hours in advance that the Prime Minister would take that route. 

The security breach happened on January 5 when Modi was on his way to Hussainiwala in Ferozepur district and his cavalcade had to take a U-turn after protesters blocked his way. The Prime Minister was stuck on a flyover for around 20 minutes. "We are taking the PM's security breach very seriously,” the top court had said during the hearing.

The committee said there should be an oversight committee for periodic revision of 'Blue Book' that contains security drills to secure the PM while he is in transit.

After perusing the report submitted to it in a sealed cover, a three-judge Bench led by CJI NV Ramana on Thursday said the committee report would be sent to the government for taking appropriate action.

The Bench -- which also included Justice Surya Kant and Justice Hima Kohli -- turned down demands made by some advocates to make copies of the report available to them.

The top court had on January 12 appointed former Supreme Court judge Indu Malhotra as chairperson of a five-member special committee to probe the security lapse during Modi's visit to Punjab on January 5.

Other members of the committee were the NIA D-G or an Inspector-General-level officer nominated by him, DGP of Union Territory of Chandigarh, ADGP (Security) of Punjab, and the Registrar General of the Punjab and Haryana High Court.

It was mandated to probe the causes of the security breach, ascertain as to who were the persons responsible and recommend measures for preventing such lapses in VVIP security in future, it said.

The top court had stayed all proceedings initiated by the inquiry committees set up by the Centre and the Punjab government.

The order came on a PIL filed by 'Lawyer's Voice' seeking a thorough investigation into the security lapse during the PM’s visit.

Noting that the breach of security of the Prime Minister during his visit to Ferozepur on January 5 was not seriously disputed by either party, the Bench had lamented that a blame-game was on between the state and Central governments as to who was responsible for such lapses. “War of words between them is no solution. It may rather impair the need of a robust mechanism to respond at such a critical juncture,” it had said.

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