National Desk, 26th November: The Punjab Police has suspended seven officials, including a Superintendent of Police (SP) and two Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSP) in response to a security lapse during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Punjab on January 5, 2022.
The incident occurred as the Prime Minister was en route to a rally in Ferozepur on February 5, 2022, where his convoy faced obstruction by farmers for about 20 minutes.
The suspended officials, namely SP Gurvinder Singh Sanga, DSP Parson Singh, DSP Jagdish Kumar, Inspector Tejinder Singh, Balwinder Singh, Jaswant Singh, and ASI Rakesh Kumar, faced the suspension order issued by the state DGP, dated November 22.
An extensive investigation was launched following the incident, leading to the decision to suspend these officials. The Punjab DGP cited negligence in duty as the reason for SP Gurvinder Singh Sanga’s suspension. At the time, he served as the SP Operation in Ferozepur and is currently posted in Bathinda.
In August, a committee appointed by the Supreme Court, chaired by former top court judge Justice Indu Malhotra, found that the Ferozepur SSP failed in his duty despite adequate forces being available during the Prime Minister’s visit. The committee recommended the establishment of an oversight committee for periodic revision of the ‘Blue Book.’