 "Veterans urge President's action in case of breach in PM Modi's security")
Slamming the Punjab administration for the breach in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's security in the state, an ex-servicemen body has written to President Ram Nath Kovind to take measures to ensure that such security lapses and "dereliction of duties" don't go unpunished.
Noting that he is also India's supreme commander, the veterans in a letter to the President urged for suitable action to ensure that such "unacceptable security lapse" does not recur.
The letter has been written by 'Akhil Bhartiya Poorva Sainik Seva Parishad' headed by Lt Gen V K Chaturvedi (retd).
This is indeed a very sad reflection on the state of the civil administration in Punjab and throws up numerous questions on the capacity and capability of all those responsible for the visit and the law and order prevailing, it said, referring to the breach of security during Modi's trip last week which forced him to cut short his visit.
The veterans noted that Modi was enroute to pay the nation's respects at the National Martyrs' Memorial and that the contingency plan required that his route should have been secured and cleared by the state administration, irrespective of the fact that the initial plan was to move by helicopter from Bhatinda to Ferozepur.
It is extremely shocking that this was not done, indicating total apathy on the part of the Punjab government and its administration, the veterans said.
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"For the Punjab chief minister to state that his government had no intimation that the prime minister would move by road is thus misleading and unacceptable as a road move was part of the contingency planning," they said.
A clearance was also given by the Punjab DGP but the route was not sanitised which suggests "utter indifference" and "total incompetence" to the most sensitive matter, they said.
They claimed that the absence of the chief secretary and the DGP to receive Modi on an official visit to the state also gives credence to the "conspiracy theory" being talked about and is a matter of great concern.
The security of the prime minister was thus compromised, which could have resulted in very serious consequences for the country, they said.