The detained IB officials were dramatically held by the PSOs and were later handed over to police after they showed their IB identity cards. Reports say they two “junior personnel” and two “senior operatives”. All four have “Kumar” as their surname or middle name. They were let off after verification of their credentials and clarifying about being on routine patrol.
The IB reports to the Union home ministry and has its office in North Block, close to Modi’s South Block office. It is responsible for collecting intelligence on situations that may affect public order and internal security. Their officials are routinely deployed in sensitive areas.
An extraordinary incident like this occurred in 1991 when two plainclothesmen were allegedly caught snooping on Rajiv Gandhi’s house. The incident led to the resignation of Chandrashekhar who was the prime minister then.