Punjab government suspends and chargesheets 7 senior police officers over PM Modi's security lapse
- In Reports
- 01:36 PM, Nov 27, 2023
- Myind Staff
A day after suspending Bathinda Superintendent of Police (SP) Gurbinder Singh, Punjab police have suspended six additional policemen for alleged dereliction of duty during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state in January 2022.
The action was taken based on a detailed report submitted by the Director General of Police (DGP) of Punjab.
According to the November 22 order from the State’s Home Department Bathinda SP Gurbinder Singh Sangha was placed under suspension with immediate effect along with two DSP-rank officers— Parson Singh and Jagdish Kumar, inspectors Jatinder Singh and Balwinder Singh, sub-inspector Jaswant Singh and assistant sub-inspector Ramesh Kumar.
As per the order, all seven policemen have been named in a charge sheet under Section 8 of the Punjab Civil Services rules (punishment and appeal) 1970.
Sangha was suspended by the Punjab government order for failing to take "corrective and urgent" action when he was persistently trailing the farmers who were protesting and obstructing the bridge on the Moga-Ferozepur route where the PM's cavalcade was struck.
According to the report of the Punjab DGP, "Gurvinder Singh Sanga has been suspended for negligence in duty. Gurvinder Singh was then SP Operation, Ferozepur. Gurvinder Singh is currently posted in Bathinda."
On January 5, 2022, the Prime Minister’s convoy faced a delay of 15-20 minutes en route to Ferozpur, Punjab, due to a road blockade by protesters resulting in his return from Punjab without attending any event and the cancellation of a rally. The incident triggered a massive political slugfest between the Congress, which was in power in the state at the time, and the BJP ahead of the crucial Punjab elections.
A Supreme Court-appointed committee, which investigated the security breach during Prime Minister Modi’s visit to Punjab in January 2022, had indicted several state officers for lapses.
The committee, appointed by the apex court on January 12 last year to probe the breach, noted that the matter could not rely solely on “one-sided inquiries,” as it necessitated “judicially trained independent minds” for a thorough investigation.
Image source: ANI
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