News Analysis India

Tag: Narendra Modi Security Breach

  • PM Narendra Modi’s security breach: Supreme Court-appointed panel visits Ferozepur

    By PTI

    FEROZEPUR: The Supreme Court-appointed five-member committee headed by former apex court judge Indu Malhotra arrived here on Sunday to probe the alleged security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Punjab last month.

    The committee visited the road overbridge near Piareana village on the Ferozepur-Moga road, where the prime minister’s convoy remained stuck up for almost 20 minutes on January 5.

    The team stayed there for almost half an hour to inspect the site.

    Besides, the team visited the rally site and Ferozeshah village to take stock of the sequence of events that took place on that day.

    The prime minister’s convoy was stranded on a flyover allegedly due to a blockade by farmers in Ferozepur after which he returned from Punjab without attending any event, including a rally.

    The top court had directed the Registrar General of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to provide all seized documents pertaining to the security arrangements made by the Punjab government for the PM’s visit.

    Before the apex court appointed the committee, a central team had visited Ferozepur on January 7.

    Even the Punjab government constituted a committee comprising retired Justice Mehtab Singh Gill and Principal Secretary, Home Affairs and Justice, Anurag Verma, to conduct an investigation.

    The SC-appointed panel also includes the Inspector General of the National Investigation Agency, Director General of Police, Chandigarh, the Registrar General of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Additional DGP (Security) of Punjab Police.

  • PM Modi’s security breach case: SC lawyer again receives threat call, Retired Judge Indu Malhotra also warned

    By IANS

    NEW DELHI: A Supreme Court lawyer on Monday once again received a threatening call warning the judges to refrain from hearing the Prime Minister’s security breach case.

    “Today I once again received a threatening call on the same pattern as it was earlier received but this time the caller also took the name of Retired SC judge Justice Indu Malhotra,” Supreme Court lawyer Vishnu Jain told IANS.

    A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana and comprising Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli had constituted an inquiry committee headed by former judge Justice Malhotra to probe the PM’s security breach in Punjab on January 5.

    The other members on the committee are Director-General or his nominee not below the rank of Inspector General of Police of the National Investigation Agency; Director General of Police, Union Territory of Chandigarh; Additional Director General of Police (Security), State of Punjab; and Registrar General, Punjab and Haryana High Court-Member cum Coordinator.

    ALSO READ: PM security breach – Air Force log, Blue Book to be scrutinised

    Advocate Vishnu said that he has informed the officials of the Special Cell of the Delhi Police about this latest development.

    Earlier on January 12, based on Advocate Vishnu’s complaint, the Delhi Police had registered an FIR with regard to the threatening calls that were received by the lawyers of the Supreme Court.

    The FIR was registered by the Special Cell of the Delhi Police under sections 153, 153-A, 506 of the Indian Penal Code read with sections 13, 16, 18, and 20 of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act (UAPA). On January 10, the Supreme Court Advocates-on-Record (SCAORA) Association had written to the secretary-general of the Supreme Court seeking action against the anonymous callers, who took responsibility for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security breach in Punjab.

    The caller warned the top court judges to refrain from hearing the PIL seeking a probe into the security breach on the ground that the Supreme Court has not been able to punish the culprits of the 1984 anti-Sikh riots.

    ALSO READ: PM Modi’s security breach – SCBA urges ex-judge Indu Malhotra to enquire into threat calls to advocates

    The plea had sought an independent probe into the PM’s security breach in Punjab. It sought a direction to the District Judge Bathinda to collect, preserve and present all material pertaining to the movement and deployment of the Punjab Police in connection with the visit of the Prime Minister, and fix the responsibility of the DGP and the Chief Secretary of Punjab.

    Earlier last week the Supreme Court had appointed a five-member committee headed by former apex court judge Indu Malhotra to probe the security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s recent visit to Punjab.

    A bench headed by Chief Justice N V Ramana also appointed the Inspector General of the National Investigation Agency, Director General of Police of Chandigarh, the Registrar General of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and the Additional DGP (Security) of Punjab as members to the Justice Malhotra panel.

    The top court directed the Registrar General of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to provide all the seized documents pertaining to the security arrangements made by the Punjab government for the PM’s January 5 visit immediately to the panel head.

    ALSO READ: PM Modi’s security breach probe: All you need to know about ex-SC Judge Justice Indu Malhotra

    The bench also comprising justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli said that it was expected that the panel would file its report shortly.

    On January 5, the prime minister’s convoy was stranded on a flyover due to a blockade by protesters in Ferozepur after which he returned from Punjab without attending any event, including a rally.

    (With Inputs From PTI)

  • Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi recites verse to wish PM Narendra Modi long life

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi on Thursday expressed regret to Prime Minister Narendra Modi over the breach in his security during a visit to the state and recited a verse to extend his wishes for a long life to him, sources said.

    Channi used the occasion of Modi’s video interaction with chief ministers over the COVID-19 situation to convey the message to him.

    He regrets whatever happened during his visit to Punjab, Channi told Modi.

    The prime minister is respected to him, he added.

    “Tum salamat raho qayamat tak, aur khuda kare qayamat na ho,” he said in Hindi, reciting the verse to express his wishes for a long life to him.

    The BJP has been attacking the Punjab government and the Congress over the breach in Modi’s security during his visit last week, which had to be cut short, with its leaders alleging an attempt to physically harm the prime minister.

    Channi had expressed his regret earlier as well but has insisted that there was no threat to Modi.

    He has in fact mocked Modi over the issue at times.

    A group of protesters had blocked Modi’s route in what the Home Ministry had described a serious lapse in security as the prime minister remained stranded on the road for 15-20 minutes before returning.

  • PM Modi’s security breach: Madhya Pradesh CM Shivraj Singh Chouhan targets Congress high command

    By Express News Service

    BHOPAL: Madhya Pradesh Chief Minister Shivraj Singh Chouhan launched a scathing attack on the opposition Congress party over the January 5 security breach of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s convoy.

    Citing a sting operation aired by a news channel in the matter on Wednesday, Chouhan alleged that the security breach wasn’t spontaneous or coincidental, but was sponsored and a part of gory conspiracy.

    He also alleged that the disgusting act was carried out by the Punjab government at the behest of the Congress high command.

    The highly sensitive issue of the PM’s convoy’s security breach is being trivialized by the Congress and its leaders, including Punjab Congress president Navjot Singh Sidhu and Chhattisgarh chief minister Bhupesh Baghel through ridiculous remarks.

    “Such light comments clearly suggest a Congress hand behind the entire security breach,” the MP CM alleged further.

    Targeting the Congress high command in the matter, Chouhan sought answers from AICC president Sonia Gandhi on a series of questions.

    “Madam (Sonia Gandhi) will have to reply, why Punjab Police remained a mute spectator, even as the PM’s security was being messed up. Why was the Punjab chief secretary and DGP not present in the PM’s fleet?  Despite police presence, how did the protestors gather at the road in such a short time and why wasn’t action taken against them? How did the protestors come to know about the PM’s route plan? Why wasn’t the Punjab CM responding to multiple phone calls after the incident? All this clearly suggests that the incident is linked to the Congress high command,” Chouhan said.

    Reacting to the MP CM’s attack on the Congress high command over the PM’s convoy security breach, the MP Congress president and leader of opposition in the State Assembly Kamal Nath said, “When a committee headed by a former judge has already been constituted on the directions of the Supreme Court to probe the Ferozpur incident, then indulging in the political blame game is not right.”