India / 27 ex-IPS officers write to President over breach in PM Modi's security in Punjab

New Delhi: A group of former IPS officers urged President Ram Nath Kovind on Thursday to take immediate action in the case of security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Punjab as they alleged “intentional and planned security lapse” by the state government in collusion with protesters.

In a letter to Kovind, the 27 former Indian Police Service (IPS) officers said it was “one of the gravest security lapses in the history of this country committed through conspiracy and collusion”.

Protesters blocking the prime minister’s route “was not only a sheer lapse of security but a shameful open display of collusion of the state machinery with the so-called protestors to embarrass and harm” him, they added.

Former Punjab director general of police (DGP) P C Dogra and former Maharashtra DGP Praveen Dixit are among the 27 signatories to the letter.

The former IPS officers said the gravity of the incident and its national and international repercussion forced them to approach Kovind for appropriate action.

“The stoppage of the carcade of the prime minister for 15 to 20 minutes in a planned manner on a flyover demonstrates poor law and order in Punjab and threatens the democracy in our country,” they said, noting that the Punjab police was primarily responsible for Modi’s travel and security within the state and had to provide a secure passage on all the routes, in accordance with the established protocol.

“We are approaching yourself for the reason that it has never happened that the state agencies are making one or the other excuse and there are contradictory statements even at the level of chief minister regarding the prime minister’s route,” they said.

It is not understood that how the protesters became aware of the prime minister’s route as the information was shared only with state police officials, the former IPS officers added.

Citing media reports, they alleged that police officials, instead of making efforts to remove the protesters, were drinking tea, which betrayed their intentions.

In an oblique reference to the Congress, they said certain tweets from various verified Twitter accounts of a particular party show the intention and irresponsible behaviour of the Punjab government, which is worrisome and alarming for the country’s democracy.

Punjab is already a sensitive border state and it has been reported in the media in the past regarding terror acts supported by countries across the border to disturb its peace. With the Assembly polls due in the state in a few months, the former IPS officers said it is the duty of the state machinery to ensure the security of all the leaders.

“We, the former police officers, request your honour to take immediate action on this matter having serious bearing on national security and state responsibility to maintain law and order in a border state going for election in a few months,” they wrote in the letter to the president.