SC Appoints Panel Headed By Ex-Judge Indu Malhotra To Probe PM Modi’s Security Lapse

Mumbai: The Supreme Court has appointed former judge Justice Indu Malhotra to head the committee to enquire into the security lapse which happened during PM Narendra Modi’s visit to Punjab on January 5.

The committee will probe the reasons for the security breach that PM Modi’s convoy was stuck on the flyover for 15-20 minutes while it was en route to the National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainiwala, a few kilometres from the Pakistan border.

The other members of the committee are the Director-General of National Investigation Agency, Director General of Police, Chandigarh, Additional Director General of Police (Security) Punjab and Registrar General of Punjab and Haryana High Court.

The top court said that the independent committee will also investigate the people responsible for this and find out the measures to be taken to prevent such security breaches of VVIPs in future. It directed the Registrar General of the Punjab and Haryana High Court to submit documents to Justice Indu Malhotra on security arrangements for the visit of the Prime Minister.

It asked the committee to submit a report on the issue at the earliest.

The Home Ministry on Thursday constituted a three-member committee to inquire into the security lapses during PM Modi’s visit to Ferozepur in Punjab. The committee will be headed by Sudhir Kumar Saxena, Secretary (Security), Cabinet Secretariat.

The two other members are Balbir Singh, Joint Director, Intelligence Bureau and S Suresh, IG, Special Protection Group (SPG).

The home ministry said that the convoy was stuck on a flyover around 30 kilometres away from the memorial of freedom fighters as the road was blocked by some protestors.

“This was a major lapse in the security of the Prime Minister,” the ministry said in a statement following the incident.

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