“Even if contact with Punjab Police could not be established to clear the route, as they are reportedly saying, which in itself is surprising since the district SSP would have been part of the convoy, the PM’s car should have turned back immediately. Why did they wait for so long? What’s more, in the photographs in circulation, SPG personnel are seen holding positions on either side of the PM’s vehicle, with the front completely exposed. It is for the SPG to answer why all this happened,” he said.Asked to comment on allegations that the Punjab Police enabled farmers to block the road by leaking the precise route taken by the PM, and that constables were seen sitting and sipping tea with such protesters, the former IPS officer said, “I don’t think they had any option other than taking the Delhi-Bathinda-Ferozepur national highway no. 95, especially in bad weather. Also, the origin of the crowd is not very clear since BJP flags were spotted in footage aired by some TV channels and some sections of media have reported that protesters were already present on that stretch and did not in fact believe the police when told that the PM was arriving on that spot.” “But yes, if a probe unearths that information about the PM taking a land route instead of an aerial one was leaked, it would constitute a serious breach of norms. If it is established that Punjab Police brass and constabulary were indeed guilty of dereliction of duty, appropriate penal action as mandated by the rulebook must be taken against all such personnel,” he said. “Punjab Police was obligated to sanitise the route and ensure flawless overall security to the PM while he was in the state. Section 14 of the SPG Act makes it clear that every agency including the state government must act in in aid of the SPG’s director or member of a group whenever called upon to do so in furtherance of the duties and responsibilities assigned to such Director or member,” he added.“However, if the SPG, which works on the motto of ‘zero error’ made any mistakes, errant officials must face the music. The 3000-member force, which has a budget of Rs 590 crore, is single-handedly responsible to keep the PM secure at all times. There’s no room whatsoever for a compromise there,” he said.
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