Punjab forms panel to probe lapses during Modi's visit, report in 3 days

The Punjab government constituted a two-member high level committee to conduct a “thorough probe” into lapses during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Ferozepur on Thursday.

The committee, which will submit its report within three days, comprises Justice (Retd.) Mehtab Singh Gill and Principal Secretary, Home Affairs and Justice, Anurag Verma.

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

In a major security lapse, the PM’s convoy was stranded on a flyover due to a blockade by protesters in Ferozepur on Wednesday. He returned from poll-bound Punjab without attending any event, including a rally.

Also read: PM changed plan; no security lapse, asserts Punjab CM

The Union Home Ministry has directed the state government to file an immediate report, saying that it did not ensure the required deployment. Home Minister Amit Shah said that such dereliction of the security procedure during the PM’s visit is “totally unacceptable and accountability will be fixed”.

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has denied any security lapse or political motive behind it and said that his government is ready for an inquiry.

The incident triggered a major political row, with the BJP alleging that the ruling Congress in Punjab “tried to physically harm” the Prime Minister, while other parties too attacked the state government over the law-and-order issue.

Modi, who had landed in Bathinda, had to take the road route to the National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala in Ferozepur because of inclement weather.

When the convoy reached near village Piareana on Ferozepur-Moga road, around 30 km away from Hussainiwala, some protestors blocked the road, following which the PM’s cavalcade was halted for almost 15-20 minutes on a flyover.

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

Modi, who was visiting Punjab after two years, was scheduled to lay the foundation stones of development projects worth over ₹42,750 crore, including the Delhi-Amritsar-Katra expressway and a PGIMER satellite centre. He was also to address a rally in Ferozepur.

(With inputs from Agencies)