From Our Bureau
NEW DELHI: Former Supreme Court judge Indu Malhotra-headed panel has blamed the Ferozepur senior superintendent of Police (SSP) responsible for lap in ensuring safety to Prime Minister Modi during his visit on January 5 despite having sufficient force available.
Justice Indu Malhotra headed a committee that inquired into the security lapses/breaches during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Punjab on January 5 in which his motorcade was stranded on a flyover while heading towards Ferozepur to address a public meeting. The top court had on January 12 constituted a committee to probe the lapses.
A bench comprising Chief Justice N.V. Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli perusing the report said that the committee has recommended that there should be an oversight committee for periodic revision of ‘Blue Book’ that exclusively provides for the Prime Minister security.
“The Ferozepur SSP failed to discharge his duty to maintain law and order. He failed to do this even though sufficient force was available and even though he was informed two hours in advance that Prime Minister will enter that route,” says the report.
The court said it will send the report of the five-member committee to the Centre for appropriate action.
There are remedial measures and safeguards that are needed for Prime Minister Security, said the bench while perusing the committee’s report.
Besides Justice Indu Malhotra, other members of the committee included Director General or his nominee not below the rank of Inspector General of Police of National Investigation Agency, Director General of Chandigarh police, Additional Director General of Punjab Police (security), and the Registrar General of Punjab & Haryana High Court.
The top court was approached by a lawyer’s organisation ‘Lawyers Voice ‘seeking an independent probe into the security lapses and to ensure that the same does not happen in future again.
