PM Modi's security breach: Punjab govt transfers Ferozepur SSP after sacking DGP

In a key development, the Punjab Government on Saturday transferred Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) of Ferozepur Harmandeep Singh Hans. Narinder Bhargav will take over as the new SSP of the region, as per government order. The change in SSP come days after a lapse in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's security. 

On his way to poll-bound Punjab's Ferozepur on Wednesday, PM Modi chose to go via the road route over air owing to the bad weather conditions. While the Prime Minister was almost reaching its destination, his convoy got stuck due to a road blockade in the state. It stayed stuck for over 15-20 minutes while many trucks full of protesters stood a few metres away. 

Viresh Kumar Bhawra the new DGP of Punjab 

Earlier in the day, Siddharth Chattopadhyaya was replaced by Viresh Kumar Bhawra as the new Punjab DGP. Apart from Bhawra, Dinkar Gupta and Prabodh Kumar were also recommended as being suitable for appointment to this post by the Empanelment Committee of the Union Public Service Commission. 

It is pertinent to mention here that since the PM's security breach, in total, nine officers have been removed or transferred from their incumbent postings. 

PM Modi's security breach

In a massive controversy ahead of the Punjab polls, PM Modi was forced to skip the Ferozepur rally on Wednesday as his security was compromised after arriving in the state. The problem started when the PM decided to travel to the National Martyrs Memorial at Hussainwala by road instead of the air route due to poor weather. According to the Ministry of Home Affairs, a major lapse was observed in the PM's security as his convoy was stuck for 15-20 minutes around 30 km from the destination due to a road blockade.

On account of additional security not being deployed by the Punjab government as a part of the contingency plan, the MHA added that PM Modi headed back to the Bathinda Airport. Moreover, it sought a detailed report from the Congress government in Punjab and demanded strict action. While both the MHA as well as the Punjab government have constituted committees to probe the security lapses, the Supreme Court has stayed their functioning until January 10 while hearing a plea seeking an independent inquiry into the incident.

Image: ANI/RepublicWorld