New Delhi: The line over security slips encompassing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Punjab has arrived at the Supreme Court, with the matter liable to be heard tomorrow. In the interim, the state has set up a group to explore and record a report in three days.
Here are the top 10 points in this big story:
- The Supreme Court has been asked to hold the Punjab Chief Secretary and the Director-General of Police responsible and suspend them pending departmental action. “It has to be ensured this doesn’t happen again,” the petitioner said. Chief Justice NV Ramana told the petitioner to file a copy with the state and said the issue would be heard tomorrow.
- The Punjab government – under fire from the BJP with an election due in less than two months – has formed a two-member panel. Justice Mehtab Gill, a retired judge, and Anurag Verma, Principal Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs and Justice, will submit a report within three days.
- President Ram Nath Kovind has expressed concern over the incident and will meet Prime Minister Modi shortly, government sources have told NDTV.
- A massive row broke out Wednesday when PM Modi, who was on his way to Ferozepur for an election rally, was stopped for 20 minutes on a flyover. His convoy – he was travelling the 100 km from Bathinda to the rally by road after bad weather grounded his helicopter – was blocked by protesting farmers. He was stopped 10 km from the venue.
- This morning the Home Ministry criticised Punjab Police for failing to prepare a contingency route for the PM’s visit, in line with protocol. This was necessary given existing intel about protesting farmers in the area, a ministry official said. Normally the SPG remains near the Prime Minister while state police sanitise routes and check for possible threats in the area.
- “As per the Blue Book, the state police has to prepare a contingency route for the protectee in case of any adverse situation like the one in Punjab during the PM’s visit,” an official form the Home Ministry told news agency ANI.
- Questions have been raised, however, over the events that led to the convoy getting stuck on that flyover. This includes the big point – why was he on an unsanitised route? Why did the PM’s security detail agree to a road trip if there was intel about protesting farmers, and did the police clear (were they given enough time?) the proposed route?
- Union Minister Smriti Irani has led the chorus of political attacks on the Congress, accusing the party of “a murderous conspiracy to kill the PM”. “The Congress hates him, now they want to harm him,” she declared, upping the ante ahead of the February-March election.
- The Congress has hit back by asking if protocol was followed in this case. Party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala pointed out that elaborate arrangements had been made but the route the Prime Minister was on was not part of the original schedule.
- Chief Minister Channi, whom BJP chief JP Nadda accused of deliberately not fielding SOS calls, has refuted any such charge. “As a Punjabi, I would die to protect you (the Prime Minister) …but there was no danger to his life. There was no security breach,” he stressed.