Punjab to chargesheet nine over PM Modi’s security breach

CHANDIGARH, MARCH 15:  The Punjab government has finally decided to chargesheet nine senior officials who were indicted by a Supreme Court-appointed committee that probed the security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state on January 5 last year.

Sources said former chief secretary Anirudh Tewari, retired director general of police S Chattopadhyaya, additional director generals of police G Nageswara Rao and Naresh Arora, inspector general Rakesh Aggarwal, deputy inspector general Inderbir Singh, then deputy inspector general Surjeet Singh (now retired) and senior superintendents of police Harmandeep Singh Hans and Charanjit Singh will figure in the chargesheet. Their files have been sent to the Chief Minister’s Office for approval. Tewari has already been issued a show-cause notice.

It is learnt that Union Home Secretary Ajay Bhalla had last week asked Punjab Chief Secretary Vijay Kumar Januja to submit an action taken report, as the AAP government appeared to be sitting on the panel’s findings. The panel that indicted the officers was headed by retired Supreme Court judge Indu Malhotra.

Sources said the Centre was considering options to act against the officers under the Special Protection Group (SPG) Act if it is unsatisfied with the state government’s reply. The report, submitted on August 25 last year, was forwarded to Punjab a month later. It said the security breach was “a colossal failure in planning and coordination.”

-TNIE