PM security breach: Former top cops write to President, allege state collusion

Twenty-seven former Indian Police Service (IPS) officers, including many former state police chiefs, have termed the Wednesday’s breach of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security a collusion of the state machinery with so-called protesters to harm and embarrass him.

“This is one of the gravest security lapses in the history of this country committed through conspiracy and collusion,” said a letter addressed to the President and signed by 27 former top cops, including former Punjab director general of police (DGP) PC Dogra and former Maharashtra DGP Praveen Dixit.

Stating that the gravity of the incident and its national and international repercussion have forced them to approach the President to take “appropriate action”, the letter said: “The stoppage of the carcade of the Prime Minister for about 15 to 20 minutes in a planned manner on a flyover bridge demonstrated poor law and order in Punjab and threatens the democracy in our country.”

Former Maharashtra DGP Praveen Dixit told HT that they are seeking an inquiry into the security lapse. “Media reports clearly show that it is not only a casual approach displayed by the state government but there appears to be a clear involvement of the state functionaries that has resulted in this horrific incident of security breach,’’ the letter said.

The IPS officers said that the question was not particularly of the party which is ruling, as it is already a very sensitive state that is close to the international border and has recently witnessed IED blast at district courts in Ludhiana with involvement of a former Punjab cop.

“We request you to take immediate action on this matter having serious bearing on the national security and state responsibility to law and order in a border state going for election in a month,” they said.

Bar council seeks HC inquiry

The Bar Council of Punjab and Haryana chairman Minderjeet Yadav has written to the Punjab and Haryana high court to take suo motu cognisance of security breach during the PM’s visit to Ferozepur.

The letter demands setting up of a commission of inquiry to judiciously examine evidence, including advance security liaison reports, central and state inputs, PM’s itinerary, state security audits, police route maps, intelligence bureau clearance certificates, federal checking mechanism alternatives and contingency plans and local intelligence diaries, to find whether it wasia visible breakdown of constitutional machinery in the state.

This extreme action under judicial security may just be required to discipline “a rogue state government” and fix accountability for their omission and commissions, if any, it states.