Protest in Punjab forces PM’s convoy to go back; Centre seeks probe

Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s convoy got stuck in traffic in Bathinda (Punjab) for about 20 minutes because of a protest, which forced the PM to return to Delhi without attending the event he was supposed to address later in the day.

The Union Home Ministry, in a strongly worded statement, asked the Punjab government to explain the breach.

The Prime Minister was scheduled to visit the National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala. His plane landed at Bhatinda in time. As per schedule, Modi was to be flown to the venue by a helicopter, but that was put on hold due to rain and poor visibility.

The Home Ministry stated that the DGP Punjab Police had cleared the way for the PM to travel to Hussainiwala by road, which would have been a two-hour journey. Around 30 km from the memorial, when the PM’s entourage reached a flyover, the road was found blocked by protestors ahead. The Prime Minister could not move ahead for almost 20 minutes. It was then decided that the convoy would head back to Bathinda airport, stated the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).

The ministry has asked the Punjab government to fix responsibility for lapse in the PM’s security and take strict action.

BJP chief J P Nadda accused the Charanjit Channi government in Punjab of trying all tricks to scuttle PM Modi’s programmes in state as it fears defeat in polls.