Security breach: Punjab govt submits report to MHA, claims enough manpower was on ground

Punjab Chief Secretary Anirudh Tewari has submitted the report highlighting the sequence of events that led to the security breach on January 5. A senior Home Ministry official told ETV Bharat that the Punjab government has informed the ministry that required manpower was deployed on the ground in the wake of farmers' protest in the state.

New Delhi: Days after a major security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Punjab, the state government has submitted its report to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) claiming that it had deployed enough security personnel on the ground.

Punjab Chief Secretary Anirudh Tewari has submitted the report highlighting the sequence of events that led to the security breach on January 5, when the prime minister's convoy was stranded on a flyover due to a blockade by protesters in Ferozepur after which he returned from poll-bound Punjab without attending any event.

The report was drafted after consultations with senior officials of the state primarily responsible for and engaged in the Prime Minister's security.

Without disclosing the details of the report, a senior Home Ministry official told ETV Bharat that the Punjab government has informed the ministry that required manpower was deployed on the ground in the wake of farmers' protest in the state.

On Thursday, the home ministry constituted a committee to inquire into the serious lapses in the security arrangements during the PM's visit to Ferozepur which led to the exposure of the VVIP to grave security risk.

Sudhir Kumar Saxena, Secretary (Security) at the Cabinet Secretariat will be leading the committee. The other members of it are Balbir Singh, Joint Director, IB and S Suresh, IG, SPG. The committee has been advised to submit the report at the earliest.

The ministry reiterated that Punjab Police neither followed the protocol nor prepared any contingency route for PM's visit.

As reported earlier, a senior official at the Home Ministry told ETV Bharat that it is the responsibility of any state government to prepare all kinds of contingency plan whenever any prime minister has a scheduled visit to the state.

Punjab Police, the official said, did not follow the 'Blue Book' issued by Home Ministry for Prime Minister's security where Special Protection Group (SPG) play a major role.

"The Prime Minister's travel plan is shared with the Chief Minister, State Home Minister, and DGP. The security plan is issued to the chief secretary as well. The SPG accordingly liaisons with all the concerned officials for the security of the Prime Minister," the official said.

"Punjab police was aware of the protesters blocking the route," he added.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi forced to cut short his Punjab visit due to the security fiasco has snowballed into a major issue.

Apart from the likely action by the Home Ministry against the Punjab Government, the Supreme Court of India is also hearing a petition today regarding the breach of security.

A three-judge bench of Chief Justice of India NV Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli will hear the petition that seeks preservation of evidence on security arrangements and action against "erring" officials of Punjab government found responsible for what is termed as 'major security lapse'.

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