Former India Home Secretary Gopal Krishna Pillai said that not only Punjab Police but also the Special Protection Group (SPG) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) should be held responsible for the alleged security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Punjab. According to India Today, Gopal Krishna Pillai said, “Punjab Police cannot be blamed alone. SPG and IB are also responsible. There was a lapse on everyone’s part. Everyone is responsible.”
The SPG is primarily responsible for “providing close security” to the Prime Minister of India. For state visits, the SPG follows the instructions mentioned in the ‘Blue Book’, which is issued by the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) to the states.
Referring to this ‘Blue Book’, Gopal Krishna Pillai said, ‘The Blue Book is clear. The state police needs to keep the road open during the PM’s visit. The pilot vehicle moves one kilometer ahead of the convoy and if it sees a blockade or any movement on the way…then the convoy is stopped and taken back, but this is not done here. The PM should have been taken to the safe house.”
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Gopal Krishna Pillai said, “The Intelligence Bureau (IB) should have been alert.” “The PM’s 100-km journey by road amidst the farmers’ agitation was wrong advice,” he said.
PM Modi’s convoy was stuck on the flyover for about 20 minutes due to the closure of the road by agricultural protesters in Punjab’s Ferozepur on Wednesday.
Congress and BJP have come face to face over this alleged security breach and now it has turned into a political turmoil. The question was raised on behalf of BJP that how did such a mistake happen in the state?
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Meanwhile, the Center described the incident as a “major security lapse” and even blamed the Congress government in Punjab for the security breach. However, Punjab Chief Minister Charan Singh Channi claimed that such a situation arose due to last minute changes in travel planning by PM Modi.
On the other hand, Punjab Police registered an FIR on Friday in connection with the alleged lapse. The Supreme Court also heard a petition seeking a thorough probe into the issue of alleged security breaches.
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