PM”s Security lapse: Punjab Government Constitutes Three-Member Inquiry Committee, Centre Mulling Action under SPG Act

Manas Dasgupta

NEW DELHI, Jan 6: The Punjab government has constituted a three-member committee to probe into the alleged security lapse during the prime minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state on Wednesday even as the Supreme Court on Thursday scheduled hearing of a petition on Friday accusing the Punjab police of “conniving” in the “single biggest lapse in security of any prime minister of India in recent years.”

“In order to carry out a thorough probe into the lapses that occurred during Prime Minister’s visit to Ferozepur yesterday, the Punjab government has constituted a high-level committee,” said an official statement of the state government on Thursday.

The committee, comprising Justice (retd.) Mehtab Singh Gill and Principal Secretary, Home Affairs and Justice Anurag Verma, had been asked to submit its report within three days, it said.

Modi was forced to return to Delhi without addressing a BJP rally at Ferozepur on Wednesday after his cavalcade was stranded on a flyover for about 15-20 minutes, about 30 kilometres before Hussainiwala as the road was blocked by the protesting farmers demanding an act on Minimum Support Price for agricultural products.

The union ministry of home affairs termed it “a major lapse in the security of PM” and sought a detailed report from the State government and asked it to fix responsibility for the lapse and take strict action against the guilty.

Even as the chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi denied the allegations of any security breach of the Prime Minister saying that he did not have any information about the change of route of the PM, the union home ministry said the PM’s cavalcade moved from Bathinda by road to Ferozepur via Hussainiwala where Modi was to pay tributes at the National Martyrs Memorial only after securing clearance from the state director general of police.

“We had asked them (PMO) to discontinue the visit due to bad weather conditions and protests. We had no information of his (Prime Minister Narendra Modi) sudden route change. There was no security lapse during the PM visit,” Channi said on Wednesday addressing a press conference. But the union home ministry said the Punjab police was informed in advance about Modi’s road journey, the security issued involved and it was undertaken only after clearance from the state police chief.

The BJP has blamed the Punjab police and administration for the lapse and demanded the dismissal of the state’s home minister Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa and the police chief while the Congress has questioned the claims. That the Punjab Police was not aware of the security threats to Modi is a myth, sources in the Union government said.

“Internal documents from Punjab police show multiple communications by Punjab Police about securing the roads for PM’s visit and journey,” sources said, adding there was talk about a “traffic diversion plan in advance because a dharna may result in road block.” Internal communications of Punjab Police also mentions the need to “keep watch on the movement of farmers and that they should not be allowed to move to district Ferozepur to disrupt the rally,” sources in the government said.

Sources also said when the helicopter journey from Bathinda was not possible, the Director of the Prime Minister’s Special Protection Group discussed the possibility of undertaking a safe and secure road journey from Bathinda to Ferozepur with the Director General of Police. The home ministry had said PM Modi was earlier scheduled to proceed from Bathinda in a helicopter and plans were changed in view of the weather. “After getting clearance for road journey from DGP Punjab, road journey was planned. Senior officers of SPG had multiple conversations from DGP Punjab regarding the road journey,” sources said. In fact, the Senior Superintendent of Police of Bathinda had piloted the motorcade from Bathinda to Ferozepur district border. From there, the SSP Bathinda had taken over, sources said.

In view of the lapse and the failure of the Punjab police to ensure a safe road journey for the PM’s cavalcade, the Centre is believed to be mulling action under the Special Protection Group (SPG) Act against certain Punjab Police officers. Sources said even as the state government has set up an inquiry committee, the Centre was preparing to take action against erring officials under provisions of the SPG. This could entail summoning of responsible officers to Delhi or institution of a central level enquiry against them, added sources.

“What happened on Wednesday in Punjab is a violation of the SPG Act as the state government failed to follow all protocols set by the SPG for the PM’s movement. Things are being worked out. Action will be taken,” said a government source.

Section 14 of the SPG Act makes the state government responsible for providing all assistance to the SPG during the PM’s movement.

The provisions 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.”

While the BJP raised the question how the information about Modi’s movements were leaked to the protesting farmers, Bhartiya Kisan Union (Krantikari) chief Surjit Singh Phool on Thursday said when the Senior Superintendent of Police Ferozepur asked them to vacate the road saying that Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on his way to a rally by road, they thought that the officer was “bluffing.” Speaking to the reporters, Phool said, “SSP Ferozepur asked us to vacate the road saying that the prime minister was going to the rally venue by road. We thought he was bluffing.”

Noting the urgency of the issue, the Supreme Court on Thursday indicated it may urgently hear the petition on PM’s security lapse on Friday itself. The petition alleged of “connivance” of the Punjab police that posed the  “single biggest lapse in security of any Indian Prime Minister in recent years.”

“While the Chief Secretary, State of Punjab and Director General of Police gave assurances to the Special Protection Group [which protects the PM] that the route is clear, it was found that the same was not true resulting in a precarious situation. The lapse in the security of the Prime Minister was occasioned clearly in connivance with the Punjab police. It was only the Punjab government that knew the precise route of the Prime Minister, which is never shared due to high security reasons,” the petition filed by an NGO, Lawyer’s Voice, said.

A Bench led by Chief Justice of India N.V. Ramana asked senior advocate Maninder Singh, who mentioned the NGO’s case for urgent hearing, to serve a copy of the petition to the Punjab government.

The petition sought disciplinary action against Punjab Chief Secretary Anirudh Tewari and Director General of Police Sidharth Chattopadhyaya, both of whom have been made parties in the case. “As per protocol, the car for the Chief Secretary and DGP or their nominees of the visiting State is earmarked and supposed to join the motorcade. However, as per the reports, neither chief secretary /representative nor DG/representative joined the motorcade during the movement of the Prime Minister,” the plea said. Singh said a “thorough, proficient” probe into the security breach was the need of the hour.

“The situation wherein a high constitutional functionary is stranded on a flyover is an extremely high security threat considering the vulnerability and the degree of planning and protection required for the office of the Prime Minister. It is in fact reported that the local administration took part in the blockage and the security lapse. It is clear from the events that private persons were given access to the Prime Minister’s route, and other persons were instigated to join the blockade, which represents a serious and unpardonable breach of national security by the State apparatus and the political establishment of the State,” the petition contended.

Singh said the court should order the State government to provide the District Judge of Bathinda district, where the incident happened, with the entire records of security arrangements made for the Prime Minister’s convoy.

The senior advocate said the judiciary should oversee the probe considering the prevailing “atmosphere”.

“The security lapse, as per reliable reports in the print and the electronic media, and as per the Press Information Bureau report of Central government, was clearly intentional and raises a serious question as to national security and the role played by the present political dispensation in the State of Punjab,” the petition submitted.

It explained that the movement of the motorcade from various points in the State was discussed in advance along with State officials and personnel. There was a specific emphasis that the route for the Prime Minister was secured from all angles. It was generally the practice that route survey/profiling, identification of choke points and vulnerable areas prone to sabotage were to be secured with strong police deployment.

“Considering the prevalent situation, which clearly has a national security implication, the highest standard of security arrangements was imperative,” the petition said.