After the serious and deliberate security breach, while Prime Minister Narendra Modi was travelling in Punjab to attend a political rally, Indian Express has now published details on how the Congress government in Punjab instructed the police to stand down, at the cost of the security of the Prime Minister, because it did not want to create a situation that would “put the government in a fix”.
Indian Express published a report after speaking to several police officials and local officials, including some “farmers” who were protesting in Punjab, that led to the security breach on the 5th of January. The report proves that the security breach was a result of petty politics and a failure of the state police to secure the route.
Attributing the information to sources, Indian Express reported that after the cavalcade of the Prime Minister came to a halt, the DGP contacted senior members in the Punjab government. According to the report, the DGP was in favour of using force to disperse the protestors who were blocking the cavalcade of the PM and creating a security breach.
Once the DGP asked the senior people in the Congress Punjab government, reportedly, the DGP was instructed to stand down. The DGP was told that he should not do anything that would “put the state government in a fix as had happened during police action against anti-sacrilege protesters at Behbal Kalan after the incident of sacrilege at Bargari in 2015”.
The sacrilege incident in 2015 was when two protestors were shot dead by the police.
The security breach that led to the Prime Minister being stranded on a flyover only kilometres away from the Pakistan border for over 20 minutes was a direct result of the Punjab government asking the DGP to stand down and not take action even as the violence protestors had already damaged buses and attacked BJP workers before the incident.
In fact, another report by Times Now reveals that the state government and the police already knew about the risk posed by the protesting farmers and communication proves that the police was asked to make adequate arrangements in light of the protests. Top Punjab Police officers had sent a letter to their subordinates regarding the same.
“You are requested to make necessary security, traffic route arrangements in your area, by deploying force at important points. You are further directed to keep a watch on the movement of farmers and they should not be allowed to move to the Ferozepur district to disrupt the rally. Any dharna may result in roadblocks therefore please make necessary traffic diversions in advance. Please brief your SPs personally to assess a plan of farmers and make necessary arrangements,” the letter read.
Despite this, the route details were leaked to protesting farmers, as confirmed by a BKU leader to Times Now. In fact, videos had emerged where police officers were seen sharing tea with the protestors right before the cavalcade of the Prime Minister was stranded and the security breach happened.
Further, Punjab Deputy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa has admitted that it was a major security lapse, saying that an alternate route should have been planned earlier but was not done.
The Congress leader also busted the claim of several Congress leaders and members, who were saying that PM Modi’s travel to Punjab by road was not pre-planned and it was not informed to the state govt in advance. Dy CM Sukhjinder Singh Randhawa informed that everyone was aware that PM Modi was travelling by road and Punjab Police was supposed to have made arrangements for the same.
After the deliberate security lapses, it becomes evident that the instruction by members of the government stopped the police from taking action against the protestors and therefore, forced PM Modi and his cavalcade to be stranded on a flyover for over 20 minutes. This was done clearly to further petty political interests. The Punjab government has been placating the Khalistani elements in the state and giving a long rope to the violent protestors. This step can also be seen in that light. The Punjab government did not want to police to take firm action against the protestors because politically, it would hurt them in the state elections and therefore, it ignored the violence unleashed by the protestors and the severe security breach of the Prime Minister by asking the police to stand down.
