Chandigarh, Jan 05: Prime Minister Narendra Modi Wednesday cancelled his scheduled visit to Punjab’s Ferozepur due to a major security breach. Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya announced from the stage at the site of the event in Ferozepur that the PM would not be able to address the rally “due to some reasons”.
PM was scheduled to visit Ferozepur to lay foundation stones for several development projects and address the people on the occasion. The PM had landed in Bathinda earlier today and then headed for the Ferozepur district which is located along the Indo-Pak border.
Ministry of Home Affairs has released a detailed statement on the PM Modi security breach during PM Modi’s Punjab visit.
Here is the full MHA statement:
Today morning PM landed at Bathinda from where he was to go to National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala by helicopter. Due to rain and poor visibility, PM waited for about 20 minutes for the weather to clear out.
When the weather didn’t improve, it was decided that he would visit the National Marytrs Memorial via road, which would take more than 2 hours. He proceeded to travel by road after necessary confirmation of necessary security arrangements by the DGP Punjab Police.
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Around 30 km away from National Martyrs Memorial in Hussainiwala, when the PM’s convoy reached a flyover, it was found that the road was blocked by some protestors.
The PM was stuck on a flyover for 15-20 minutes. This was a major lapse in the security of PM.
The PM’s schedule and travel plan were communicated well in advance to Punjab Government. As per procedure, they have to make necessary arrangements for logistics, security as well as keep a contingency plan ready. Also in view of the contingency plan Punjab Government has to deploy additional security to secure any movement by road, which was clearly not deployed.
After this security lapse, it was decided to head back to Bathinda airport.
The Ministry of Home Affairs taking cognizance of this serious security lapse has sought a detailed report from the state government. State Government has also been asked to fix responsibility for this lapse and take strict action.
