Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s Ferozepur rally cancelled due to protesters

Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has cancelled his visit to the Ferozepur district in poll-bound Punjab after a major security lapse. The 71-year-old’s convoy was reportedly stuck on a flyover for 15-20 minutes due to protesters, and the Modi government has blamed the Congress government in Punjab for the lapse.

The Prime Minister had landed in Bathinda airport and was scheduled to be flown to his destination via helicopter. However, rain and poor visibility led to delays, and the PM’s contingent eventually opted for a two hour drive to Hussainiwala in Ferozepur via the National Martyrs Memorial road after informing the Director General of Police (DGP) of the Punjab Police for the necessary security arrangements for the journey.

The PM was slated to lay the foundation stones of a slew of new development projects in Ferozepur, but cut his visit short after protesters reportedly blocked the road and caused delays.

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Announcing the cancellation, the Home Ministry put out a statement saying, “Around 30-kms away from National Martyrs Memorial in Hussainiwala, when the PM’s convoy reached a flyover, it was found that the road was blocked by some protestors. The PM was stuck on a flyover for 15-20 minutes. This was a major lapse in the security of PM.”

“The PM’s schedule and travel plan was communicated well in advance to Punjab Government. As per procedure, they have to make necessary arrangements for logistics, security as well as keep a contingency plan ready. Also in view of the contingency plan Punjab Government has to deploy additional security to secure any movement by road, which were clearly not deployed,” the statement continued, hinting at the Punjab government’s complicity in the lapse.

“After this security lapse, it was decided to head back to Bathinda airport,” the Home Ministry statement concluded.

BJP leaders, including BJP President JP Nadda, took to Twitter to criticise the Congress government after the incident.

The Home Ministry has also asked the Punjab government to fix responsibility for the “serious security lapse” and take strict action against those responsible.