The Supreme Court Friday turned down the Punjab government’s request for access to the statements of witnesses who deposed before the commission it set up to probe the security breach during the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the state on January 5, 2022.
“We see no ground to entertain the request made by the Punjab government. The state may conduct its enquiry against delinquent officers without the aid of the statements said to have been made by the witnesses before the enquiry committee,” said a bench of Justice Surya Kant and Justice Ujjal Bhuyan.
The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) government in Punjab approached the top court seeking a copy of the statements contending that it wanted to conduct an inquiry against the negligent officers. On January 12, 2022, the SC appointed its former judge Justice Indu Malhotra to head an inquiry committee to probe the security breach that left PM Modi’s convoy stranded on a flyover for 20 minutes.
The Committee in its report, indicted the then Ferozepur senior superintendent of police (SSP) Harmandeep Singh Hans, saying he “…failed to discharge his responsibilities to maintain law and order…or take any steps for deployment to strengthen the route…” taken by the PM.
Hans, it said, “failed to discharge his responsibilities to maintain law and order…or take any steps for deployment to strengthen the route in Ferozepur, even though he was fully aware that there were large hostile groups who have come to block the route”.
“He failed to augment and strengthen the route in Ferozepur even though there were sufficient forces available with him. There was sufficient time of approximately 2 hrs from 10.20 onwards when G Nageshwar Rao (Additional Director General of Police) informed” him “ that the Prime Minister would be taking the contingency route and the route should be adequately strengthened. Despite clear instructions from G NagesHwar Rao, at least 2 hours before the Prime Minister entered district Ferozepur, the SSP Ferozepur failed to act upon the instructions of G Nageshwar Rao,” added the panel.
The report also made certain recommendations for enhancing the PM’s safety including the constitution of an oversight committee for periodic revision and update of the Blue Book and holding sensitisation courses for training police officers concerned with security measures including the Blue Book.
