Security breach: Central panel reaches Ferozepur, Punjab govt submits report to Centre

Acentral team probing the security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Ferozepur reached the Punjab town on Friday while the state government submitted a report to the Centre saying an FIR has been filed in the matter and a two-member panel set up.

The Centre’s three-member committee will seek details about the sequence of events that unfolded during Modi’s January 5 visit.

The team first went to the Pyarayana flyover near Ferozepur and interacted with senior Punjab Police and civil administration officials.

The panel is led by Sudhir Kumar Saxena, Secretary (Security), Cabinet Secretariat, and comprises Balbir Singh, Joint Director of the Intelligence Bureau, and S Suresh, IG, Special Protection Group.

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

Meanwhile, Punjab Chief Secretary Anirudh Tewari has submitted a report to the Centre regarding the security breach that stalled Modi’s visit informing that an FIR has been lodged in the incident and the state government has formed a two-member panel to investigate the lapses.

Tewari is learnt to have shared details pertaining to the sequence of events that unfolded on Wednesday, official sources said.

The Punjab government had on Thursday announced the two-member panel to investigate the lapses. The panel has been asked to submit its report in three days.

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

The Union Home Ministry had directed the state government to file an immediate report, saying it did not ensure the required deployment, while Home Minister Amit Shah had said that such dereliction of the security procedure during the prime minister’s visit was totally unacceptable and accountability would be fixed.

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.