Congress' Manish Tewari says PM's security not a 'political football'; demands probe by sitting HC judge

Chandigarh (Punjab) [India], January 6 (ANI): Congress MP Manish Tewari has demanded a probe into the security breach during Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Punjab visit on Wednesday by a sitting judge of the high court and said that his security is not a "political football".
"The security of the Prime Minister is not a political football. It is a sensitive matter. It should not have happened," the Congress MP from Anandpur Sahib told ANI.
He further said that the security of the Prime Minister is governed by an act of Parliament, called the Special Protection Group Act.
"It is a very well laid out procedure as to how the Prime Minister and his immediate family have to be secured," Tewari said.
"Therefore, if there has been a security lapse, it should be investigated by a sitting judge of the High Court and whosoever is responsible that responsibility needs to be fixed. People need to be held accountable because the security of the Prime Minister involved a nation as a whole," he added.
His statement demanding a probe by a sitting High Court judge to establish facts in the sequence of events, comes after the Punjab government on Thursday constituted a high-level committee to investigate lapses during PM Modi's visit to Ferozepur.
The Committee would comprise Justice (Retd.) Mehtab Singh Gill, Principal Secretary (Home Affairs) and Justice Anurag Verma and would submit its report within three days.
Meanwhile, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has also constituted a three-member committee to enquire into the breach in the PM's security.
"The three-member committee will be led by Sudhir Kumar Saxena, Secretary (Security), Cabinet Secretariat and comprising of Balbir Singh, Joint Director, IB and S. Suresh, IG, SPG," MHA Spokesperson tweeted.
The Prime Minister was stuck atop a flyover for 15-20 minutes while on his way to Ferozepur, Punjab on Wednesday due to the road being blocked by some protesters. The Union Health Ministry termed it as a "major lapse" in his security. (ANI)