Security for the Prime Minister - during his visits to states - follows what is called the 'blue book'
The row over security lapses surrounding Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Punjab has reached the Supreme Court, with the matter likely to be heard tomorrow. Meanwhile, the state has set up a team to investigate and file a report in three days.
Here are the top 10 points in this big story:
The Supreme Court has been asked to hold the Punjab Chief Secretary and the Director-General of Police responsible and suspend them pending action. "It has to be ensured this doesn't happen again," the petitioner said. Chief Justice NV Ramana told the petitioner to file a copy with the state and said the issue would be heard tomorrow.
The Punjab government - under fire from the BJP with an election due next month - set up a two-member panel. Justice Mehtab Gill, a retired judge, and Anurag Verma, Principal Secretary of the Department of Home Affairs, will submit a report within three days.
President Ram Nath Kovind met Prime Minister Modi at Rashtrapati Bhavan in Delhi. The President received a first-hand account of the incident, his Twitter account said, adding that the President also expressed his concerns over the security lapse.
The BJP has released what it claims are internal memos of Punjab Police directing its officers to make "necessary security, traffic and route arrangements" for the Prime Minister's visit. These memos, the BJP claims, also warn of last-minute plan changes due to bad weather and that "farmers are likely to hold dharnas... may result in roadblocks... please make necessary diversion plans".
A massive row broke out Wednesday when PM Modi, who was on his way to Ferozepur for an election rally, was stopped for 20 minutes on a flyover. His convoy - he was travelling the 100 km from Bathinda to the rally by road after bad weather grounded his helicopter - was blocked by protesting farmers. He was stopped 10 km from the venue.
This morning the Home Ministry criticised Punjab Police for failing to prepare a contingency route for the PM's visit, in line with protocol. This was necessary given existing intel about protesting farmers in the area, a ministry official said. Normally the SPG remains near the PM while state police sanitise routes and check for threats.
Questions have been raised, however, over the events that led to the convoy getting stuck on that flyover. This includes the big point - why was he on an unsanitised route? Why did the PM's security detail agree to a road trip if there was intel about protesting farmers, and did the police clear (did they get enough time?) the proposed route?
Union Minister Smriti Irani has led the chorus of political attacks on the Congress, accusing the party of "a murderous conspiracy to kill the PM". "The Congress hates him, now they want to harm him," she declared, upping the ante ahead of the February-March election.
The Congress has hit back by asking if protocol was followed in this case. Party spokesperson Randeep Surjewala pointed out that elaborate arrangements had been made but the route the Prime Minister was on was not part of the original schedule.
Chief Minister Channi, whom BJP chief JP Nadda accused of deliberately not fielding SOS calls, has refuted any such charge. "As a Punjabi, I would die to protect you (the Prime Minister) ...but there was no danger to his life. There was no security breach," he stressed.
With input from ANI
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