Exclusive video of PM Modi's convoy waiting for 20 minutes over flyover in Punjab
Special Protection Group personnel are seen protecting the official vehicle of the Indian Prime Minister while protests were on at a distance
FollowA video has emerged from the day the convoy of Prime Minister Narendra Modi was stranded over a flyover for 20 minutes following a blockade of the road by protesters around 30 km away from Hussainiwala in Punjab on Wednesday.
The video, over a minute long in duration, shows lathi-wielding Punjab Police personnel blocking the road to prevent protestors from accessing the stretch of the flyover where the Prime Minister's convoy was waiting. Special Protection Group personnel are seen protecting the official vehicle of the Indian Prime Minister. The video showed the Prime Minister seated in the front seat of the vehicle, waiting for the melee to end. However, the convoy was forced to turn around as the protesters refused to budge from their position.
The video comes on the day the Supreme Court is hearing a plea seeking probe into the security lapse during the Prime Minister's visit to Punjab. During the hearing, Senior advocate Maninder Singh said it was the duty of the Centre and state and other local authorities to act in aid of any member of the SPG. Citing the SPG Act, which states that it is not the issue of a state subject or law and order, Maninder said that the issue of PM's protection is a national security issue and comes under the parliamentary purview and that the incident needs to be professionally investigated.
Meanwhile, the Centre's three-member panel arrived at the Ferozepur-Moga highway to investigate the security lapses that led to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s convoy being stranded on the flyover. The Punjab government of Charanjit Singh Channi has come under major criticism over its handling of the Prime Minister's security and inability to ensure contingency measures.
