New Delhi: Expressing concerns about the serious lapse during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Punjab, President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday met the former and received from him a first-hand account of the incident.
“President Ram Nath Kovind met Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the Rashtrapati Bhavan today and received from him a first-hand account of the security breach in his convoy in Punjab yesterday. The President expressed his concerns about the serious lapse,” the President of India’s office tweeted.
Vice President M Venkaiah Naidu also expressed his deep concern about the security breach and spoke to Prime Minister Modi in this regard.
“Vice President of India, Shri M.Venkaiah Naidu today spoke to the Prime Minister, Shri Narendra Modi about the security lapse during PM's visit to Punjab yesterday,” the Vice President of India’s office tweeted.
“He expressed his deep concern at the security breach and hoped that stringent steps will be taken to scrupulously adhere to established security protocol and ensure such a situation doesn’t recur in future,” the Vice President of India’s office wrote on the micro-blogging platform.
Meanwhile, the Punjab government has formed a high-level committee to investigate Prime Minister Modi’s security lapse during his visit to Ferozepur earlier on Wednesday.
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The committee, according to ABP News sources, will submit the report to the state government in three days.
The committee would comprise Justice (Retd.) Mehtab Singh Gill, Principal Secretary, Home Affairs and Justice Anurag Verma, said an official spokesperson.
The Prime Minister’s Punjab visit was cut short on Wednesday after a “major security lapse” as he was stranded on a flyover for 20 minutes due to a blockade by the protesters, prompting the Union Home Ministry to seek an immediate report from the state government.
The state government has also been asked to fix responsibility for this lapse and take strict action.
Stating the Prime Minister’s schedule and travel plan was communicated well in advance to the Punjab government, the Home Ministry said: “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 the Punjab government has to deploy additional security to secure any movement by road, which were clearly not deployed,” the ministry added.
The Home Ministry said, after this security lapse, it was decided to head back to Bathinda airport.
The Home Ministry further said the Prime Minister landed on Wednesday morning at Bathinda from where he was to go to the National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala by helicopter, adding due to rain and poor visibility he waited for about 20 minutes for the weather to clear out.
“When the weather did not improve, it was decided that he would visit the National Martyrs Memorial via road, which would take more than two hours. He proceeded to travel by road after necessary confirmation of necessary security arrangements by the DGP Punjab Police,” the ministry added.
Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has, however, denied there was any security lapse or political motive behind it and said that his government was ready for an inquiry.
The Chief Minister shared a minute-to-minute programme of the Prime Minister’s visit and said that three helipads were set up at Ferozepur as he was to reach from Bathinda by air.
He said that there was a sudden change in the Prime Minister’s travel plan from Bathinda to Ferozepur, adding everything was handled by the central agencies.