Former Chief Secretary and serving Chairman J&K PSC Mr B R Sharma, former Director General of Punjab Police, P.S Gill, former Directors General of J&K Police Kuldeep Khoda, Dr. Ashok Bhan, K. Rajendra Kumar, Dr S. P Vaid, former veterans Maj Gen Goverdhan Singh Jamwal , Lt General R. K Sharma and Brig Anil Gupta participated in over 90 minute virtual conference anchored and hosted by former legislator Devender Singh Rana.
The participants unequivocally termed the breach a manifestation of failure of the Punjab administration, especially the police, saying the SPG Act was blatantly ignored and Blue Book violated deliberate attempts were made to undermine the gravity of the situation in which the country’s top political executive was almost trapped on flyover with no route to escape in an ambush like scenario. This was nearly ambush like situation, which reflects the conspiracy angle as the SPG was not informed about the developing situation and, in fact, protestors having blocked the road, to the SPG which could have taken a call to call off the road journey.
Some of the speakers feared of untoward incident having taken place in view of the breach site being just 20 odd kilometres away from the International Border with Pakistan. The enemy country could have resorted to artillery shelling thus shifting the blame to, what Pakistan is used to referring to non-state actors. The recalled 9/11, saying but for the capture of terrorist Ajmal Kasab, Islamabad had washed off its hands from the most heinous terror act.
The incident, one of the participants said, is a blot on the professionalism of the Punjab Police that had valiantly fought Khalistani terrorism in eighties. He said the DGP Punjab could have stood on foot, if the political bosses of the state would have desired to scuttle the visit of the chief executive of the country, saying he could not compromise with the security of the Prime Minister, whose threat perception is not hidden. Another participant described the claim of the Punjab Government about having no knowledge of threat to the PM as absurd. He pointed towards the footage showing casualness of the Punjab Police at the protest site, with some personnel sipping tea with the protestors.
The participants were unanimous in expeditious and fair probe to fix the responsibility and dispensing exceptional punishment for laxity so that such incidents do not recur anywhere across the country. This assumes significance in the backdrop of attempts of derailing democracy and weakening the federal structure, earlier in Mamta Banerjee’s West Bengal and now in Sonia Gandhi’s Punjab.
“Mere thought of the backlash across the country in the wake of any untoward incident sends chill in the spine, as the nation would have plunged into unprecedented crisis with enemies across the border taking advantage”, he said while expressing relief over the adverse scenario having been averted.
Giving their expert opinion on dealing and tackling the Prime Minister’s visit to any state, the participants wondered why the Chief Secretary, Home Secretary and the DGP, least to speak of the Chief Minister Punjab having accompanied the cavalcade as the Prime Minister was going to launch several development projects. “The intriguing question remains that their official cars were accompanying the cavalcade with incumbent occupants missing from the scene”, an expert said, asking what does it mean and it can’t be coincidence.
An Army veteran observed that the security of the Prime Minister should be of paramount importance especially as Mr Narendra Modi is taking on the enemy nations in the neighbourhood firmly and standing tall in the world community by taking bold stand on global issues. He said the nation is blessed with a firm, decisive and bold Prime Minister after years and decades.
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