Security lapse during PM Modi’s Punjab visit kicks up political storm | Top Developments

BJP officials protest in Chennai on Friday against the Punjab government for “breaching security” during Prime Minister Modi’s visit | PTI

The “security breach” during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Ferozepur, Punjab on January 5, sparked a political storm. Both the central government and the Punjab government have ordered separate investigations into the matter.

On Friday the The Supreme Court heard a petition about the ‘security breach’ and ordered the Registrar General of Punjab and Haryana HC to confiscate and secure all state police and central authority documents related to PM Modi’s visit to Punjab.

Meanwhile, a number of BJP leaders prayed for Prime Minister Modi’s long life. Demonstrations by BJP employees against the government of Punjab also took place in New Delhi, Chennai, Shimla and Patna.

READ: PM security breach: Mob blocks Punjab Dy CM’s car and forces him to sing “Modi Zindabad”

“There should be no neglect in ensuring the prime minister’s safety while visiting any state,” said Bihar CM Nitish Kumar, Assam CM Himanta Biswa Sarma called on the Congress leadership to dismiss Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi, while Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan blamed Congress President Sonia Gandhi for the “security breach”.

Noting that the country has lost two Prime Ministers in the past due to security deficiencies, Shiv Sena MP Sanjay Raut said: “The prime minister belongs to the whole nation. There can be no compromise on his security. The security breaches that occurred during Modi’s Punjab visit are grave.”

What happened?

Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a scheduled visit to Punjab on January 5 to attend a rally in Ferozepur, a border district.

The Interior Ministry (MHA) said in a statement that the prime minister’s convoy had taken the road to the National Martyrs Memorial in Hussainiwala because weather conditions did not allow his helicopter to take off.

PM Modi’s convoy got stuck on an overpass in Ferozepur, Punjab on January 5, 2022 | PTI

The convoy from PM Modi was about 30 km from Hussainiwala stuck on the Pyarayana flyover on National Highway 5 for about 15-20 minutes when a group of protesting farmers obstructed the route. The farmers called for the dismissal of the Union Interior Minister (MoS), Ajay Misra Teni, whose son Ashish is one of the accused in the violence in Lakhimpur Kheri.

READ: PM Modi’s helicopter is all-weather capable, has decided not to fly: Punjab government due to security breach

The 5 most important developments:

1. On Friday morning, the chief secretary of Punjab presented a report to the central government on the security breach during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to the state. A FIR has been submitted 150 unidentified Ferozepur police demonstrators for blocking the route of the Prime Minister’s convoy on 5 January.

READ: Protesting farmers did not know that the prime minister’s convoy was passing the overpass: Samyukt Kisan Morcha

2. A three-person team from the Ministry of Interior (MHA) arrived in Punjab’s Ferozepur on Friday interview senior police officers, including the DGP, related to the “vulnerability”. The body consists of Sudhir Kumar Saxena, Secretary (Security), Cabinet Secretariat, Balbir Singh, Joint Director of the Secret Service Bureau (IB) and S Suresh, IG, Special Protection Group (SPG). On Friday, the three-person team interviewed a number of senior officials at the BSF sector headquarters in Ferozepur, which is about 10 km from the site of the incident.

Police tried to clear the route for PM Modi’s convoy in Ferozepur, Punjab on January 5, 2022 | PTI

3. The Supreme Court, hearing a petition about the “security breach” on Friday, ordered Punjab Chancellor General and Haryana HC to “seize and assign all documents related to the Prime Minister’s visit to the Punjab Police, IB and SPG to back up”. Chandigarh DGP Praveer Ranjan and IG Santosh Rastogi from the NIA were directed to help the Chancellor General to carry out the orders of the court.

READ: BJP officials shouted slogans near the prime minister’s convoy, why didn’t the SPG stop them, Congress asks?

4th Haryana CM Manohar Lal on Friday called for the imposition of presidential rule in Punjab over the “security breach” in which the prime minister was involved. Union Minister Giriraj Singh described it as a “criminal conspiracy” while BJP chief Tarun Chugh petitioned for the dismissal and arrest of Punjab Interior Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa, Chief Secretary Anirudh Tiwari and DGP S Chattopadhyaya for their alleged failure to secure a route for Prime Minister Modi’s convoy. BJP workers also demonstrated against the Punjab government outside the AICC headquarters in New Delhi.

BJP workers protest in Patna on Friday against Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi | PTI

5. Chief of Congress of Punjab Navjot Singh Sidhu, in a press conference on Friday, Prime Minister Modi accused of “defaming Punjab and Punjabiyat”. Meanwhile, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said in a tweet regarding the border dispute with China in east Ladakh: “What happened at our borders is a major national security flaw. Will the Prime Minister ever talk about it? #PangongTso #China “