13 august 2024 : The Punjab government has formally requested the Central government for copies of the witness statements collected by a Supreme Court-appointed panel that investigated the alleged security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state in January 2022. This request is aimed at facilitating departmental proceedings against the state police officers deemed “delinquent.”
An official familiar with the situation informed The Indian Express that a communication was sent to the Internal Security-I division, VIP Security, Ministry of Home Affairs on July 5, in which the Punjab government sought the complete file to ensure the smooth progression of the proceedings. The official further noted that the Punjab government intends to issue a reminder to expedite the acquisition of the witness statements referenced in the report led by Justice (Retd) Indu Malhotra.
“Copies of the witness statements are necessary to be provided to the officers in question to elicit their responses as part of the ongoing proceedings,” stated another official.
According to a senior officer, “The majority of the witnesses identified in this case are or were gazetted officers of Punjab who played roles in the planning and execution of the Prime Minister’s visit to the state.”
When questioned about the correspondence from the state home department to the Ministry of Home Affairs, Punjab Home Secretary Gurkirat Kirpal Singh remarked, “I am not aware of this. I will need to verify.”
The Supreme Court mandated the inquiry and appointed Justice Malhotra to lead a five-member committee following an incident on January 5, 2022, when the Prime Minister’s convoy was halted for 15-20 minutes on a flyover while traveling from Bathinda to Ferozepur.
The panel submitted its findings on August 25, 2022, holding several Punjab Police officers accountable for being “casual” and “negligent,” characterizing the incident as “a colossal failure in planning and coordination.”
In March 2023, Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann directed the Personnel Department of the state to commence disciplinary actions involving significant penalties against S. Chattopadhyaya, who was the Director General of Police at that time, Inderbir Singh, who held the position of Deputy Inspector General for the Ferozepur Range, and Harmandeep Singh Hans, who served as the Senior Superintendent of Police for Ferozepur.
Earlier this year, the Punjab government appointed Justice Sant Parkash, a former judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court and currently the chairperson of the Punjab State Human Rights Commission, to serve as the inquiry officer for the disciplinary proceedings concerning the aforementioned officers.
