NCP seeks judicial probe in lapse in PM Modi's security in Punjab

PM Narendra Modi. File Pic

The Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) demanded a judicial probe to fix responsibility for the breach in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's security during his visit to poll-bound Punjab.

NCP spokesperson Nawab Malik said it is very important to know whether it was the fault of the central agencies or the Punjab government in the security lapse. "It is important to probe this," said Malik, who is also a Maharashtra cabinet minister. If the Centre probes the matter, then the Punjab government will find faults in it and no one is ready to believe the state government, he said.

"To fix responsibility, a judicial inquiry under a sitting judge should be conducted. The state and the Centre have two different views on this. It is important for the people to know the truth," added Malik, whose party is an ally of the Congress. In a "major security lapse", the prime minister's convoy was stranded on a flyover due to a blockade by protesters in Ferozepur on Wednesday. Modi returned from poll-bound Punjab without attending any event, including a rally which he was scheduled to address in the Congress-ruled state.

Punjab Chief Minister Charanjit Singh Channi has denied any security lapse or political motive behind the incident and said his government was ready for an inquiry. The Punjab government on Thursday constituted a two-member high-level committee to conduct a "thorough probe" into lapses during Modi's visit to Ferozepur. Earlier in the day, Modi briefed President Ram Nath Kovind on the security breach during his visit to Punjab.

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