MHA panel at site; Punjab gives report, says FIR filed

Chandigarh/Ferozepur,

Jan. 7: A Central team probing the “serious lapses” in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security during his Ferozepur tour visited the town on Friday and interacted with senior officials, while the Punjab government submitted a report to the Centre, saying an FIR has been registered in the matter. The three-member committee, constituted by the Union home ministry on Thursday, sought full details about the sequence of events that unfolded during Mr Modi’s January 5 visit, sources said.

The state government has maintained there was no security lapse during

Mr Modi’s visit. On Thursday, it had announced a two-member panel to investigate the matter. The panel was asked to submit its report in three days.

The Punjab Police also registered an FIR dated January 6 in Ferozepur’s Kulgari police station against nearly 150 unidentified protesters who blocked Mr Modi’s cavalcade on Wednesday.

Amid foggy weather conditions, the Central team visited the flyover near Ferozepur on Friday morning and interacted with senior Punjab Police and civil administration officials.

The panel is led by Sudhir Kumar Saxena, secretary (security), Cabinet Secretariat, and has Balbir Singh, joint director of the Intelligence Bureau, and S. Suresh, IG, Special Protection Group, as members.

The Centre has advised the committee to submit its report at the earliest.

The Union home ministry, meanwhile, issued show cause notices to six senior officers, including the Bathinda police chief,

THE PUNJAB police has registered an FIR in Ferozepur against nearly 150 unidentified protesters who blocked the PM’s cavalcade

■ Continued from Page 1 over the “major lapses in security” during Mr Modi’s visit.

Bathinda senior superintendent of police Ajay Maluja and the five other officers were responsible for the Prime Minister’s security during his visit to the state on January 5 and they were asked to reply to the notices.

The SSP said that he had the responsibility of getting the Prime Minister’s route cleared in Bathinda district. There was no protest in the route from Bathinda airport to the district’s border. The route was absolutely clear, he said on Friday.

Mr Maluja said the home ministry has asked him to present his side and submit his reply.

The Central team started its inquiry into the security breach on Friday morning, looking into the lapses which caused the cavalcade to remain stranded at the flyover near Ferozepur for almost 15-20 minutes on Wednesday, the sources said.

The team spent around 45 minutes at the flyover before heading to the BSF sector headquarters for further questioning and investigation into the matter.

At the BSF sector headquarters in Ferozepur, which is around 10 km from where the incident took place on National Highway 5, the Central team remained closeted with the senior civil and police officers who were directly responsible to ensure the smooth passage of the Prime Minister’s convoy and its foolproof security.

Earlier, the team arrived at the Bathinda airport and followed the road route to reach Ferozepur.

An FIR was registered in Ferozepur against 150 unidentified protestors on the complaint of Inspector Birbal Singh under Section 283 (danger or obstruction in public way or line of navigation) of the Indian Penal Code.