PM Modi's Kerala visit: 12 Congress leaders taken into preventive detention over possible protest

According to reports, more than 2,000 police personnel have been deployed in Kochi and Ernakulam as part of security measures.

Kochi: In the wake of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's visit to Kerala, 12 Congress leaders have been put under preventive detention in Kochi to avoid possible protests during his visit. PM Modi will land at Kochi's Naval Airport on Monday afternoon for a two-day visit. 

The detained leaders include Kerala Pradesh Congress Committee (KPCC) secretary Thambi Subramaniam and District Congress Committee (DCC) secretary Sreekumar. 

According to reports, more than 2,000 police personnel have been deployed in Kochi and Ernakulam as part of security measures. PM Modi will hold a mega roadshow till Sacred Heart College, Thevara. 

Earlier, the state government had come under fire for the alleged leak of the security plans on WhatsApp. ADGP (Intelligence) T K Vinod Kumar launched an investigation to determine how this information, which was only discussed with a small number of officials, ended up as an alleged WhatsApp forward.

The specifics of the security protocol include the number of officers who will be stationed at each critical location, their identities, backup plans for emergencies, and the routes the PM's convoy will follow. The 49-page correspondence that was widely reported in the media and internet platforms appeared to list the PM's itinerary and timings in minute detail and outlined the duties given to specific policemen tasked with guarding him.

Union Minister of State V Muraleedharan accused the Kerala government of the alleged leak of security arrangements. The Minister termed the leak 'highly serious'. He claimed that the Chief Minister, who oversees the state's Home Department, could not be permitted to "wash his hands of such a lapse".

On Tuesday, PM Modi will reach Thiruvananthapuram and flag off Kerala's first Vande Bharat Express and South Asia's first Water Metro Service.