Revealed: Punjab DGP asked PM Modi's convoy to return, police was keeping tabs on breach

In a key development, sources have told Republic that Prime Minister Narendra Modi's SPG cavalcade was asked to take a U-turn by the Punjab DGP himself, and the SPG followed the instructions of the Punjab Police the entire time during the security breach. Accordingly, it comes to light that the Punjab Police and the DGP were already aware of the security breach PM Modi was driving into.

Top sources said that it was the Punjab DGP who had asserted that the crowd is getting belligerent and that the Punjab Police was keeping tabs of the complete situation of the security breach.

Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs on Thursday constituted a high-level committee to conduct a thorough investigation into the "serious lapses" that occurred during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Punjab on Wednesday. The three-member committee will be led by Sudhir Kumar Saxena, Secretary (Security), Cabinet Secretariat.

Major lapse in PM Modi's security

PM Modi was forced to skip his Ferozepur rally on Wednesday as his security was compromised after he arrived in the state. At Ferozepur, an announcement was made on stage that his visit was cancelled "due to some reason". It was then revealed that the PM's convoy was blocked by protestors for 15-20 minutes, leading to the PM being stranded on a flyover. Moreover, the Punjab Government failed to deploy additional security as a part of the contingency plan. Owing to this, PM Modi was forced to travel back and fly out of the Bhatinda Airport. The MHA has sought a detailed report from the Congress government in Punjab and assured strict action.

Speaking to Republic an eyewitness to the PM's security breach - Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) General Secretary Baldev Zira -  confirmed to Republic earlier that the Punjab Police had informed protesters about Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cavalcade using the particular road route that turned out to be blocked.

Earlier, Republic also accessed information of how the PM's contingency route by road was discussed during the Advance Security Liaison (ASL) on January 1 and 2. Sources revealed that additional deployments were detailed during the meeting and vulnerable points were discussed and the Punjab police was completely aware of all of it. A contingency rehearsal from Bhatinda to Ferozepur was carried out on January 4. Several conversations were also held between the SPG director and DGP Punjab on the road journey and clearance for PM Modi's travel was given by the DGP. The SSP Bathinda piloted PM Modi's motorcade up to the Ferozepur border and was escorting him all along. However, despite this the Prime Minister's cavalcade was trapped 20 minutes on a flyover.