PM Security Breach To Be Probed By Supreme Court-Appointed Panel

A high-level committee headed by a retired Supreme Court judge will investigate the breach in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security in Punjab that has snowballed into a major political issue in the run-up to the state polls.

The Supreme Court today asked the BJP-ruled centre and the Congress government in Punjab to hold the ongoing probes they had ordered. The bench of Chief Justice of India N V Ramana and Justices Surya Kant and Hima Kohli added that detailed orders regarding the new panel will be issued soon.

In its earlier hearing on Friday, the court had directed that travel records of the Prime Minister be preserved.

A massive row broke out after the Prime Minister’s convoy had to be stopped for about 20 minutes on a flyover in Punjab’s Bathinda as the road was blocked by protesting farmers. Visuals of the SPG personnel surrounding the Prime Minister’s car went viral, sparking a war of words between the BJP and the Congress.

Blaming the Charanjit Singh Channi government for the security lapse, Union minister and BJP leader Smriti Irani accused the Congress of a “a murderous conspiracy to kill the PM”.

The Congress hit back, saying the Prime Minister’s travel plans were tweaked at the last moment. The party also accused the BJP of raking up the security lapse to cover up the embarrassment of thin crowds at a rally to be addressed by the Prime Minister.