Report sought on Pranab security breach

The Home Ministry has asked the Maharashtra government to submit a detailed report on the Mumbai police goof-up during Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s recent visit to the financial capital, reports HT Correspondent.

The Home Ministry has asked the Maharashtra government to submit a detailed report on the Mumbai police goof-up during Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee’s recent visit to the financial capital.

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Hindustan Times had reported on Mumbai police taking the finance minister to a wrong destination during his visit to the metropolis on December 19.

Mukherjee, who has a high Z-plus category security, was in Mumbai to attend a function to award the “best banks” at the Oberoi Trident in Bandra-Kurla, about 15 minutes away from the airport.

Instead, his local security detail took him to another hotel of the same name at Nariman Point, an hour’s drive from the airport.

“We have sought a factual report from the state government in view of the news report,” a security official in Delhi said.

A similar case, where police officers had mishandled the security of VVIPs, was in Kerala in 2006 when a taxi driver, hired to drive the pilot car that leads the motorcade, deviated from the planned route. Three policemen were suspended for the lapse after the driver pointed out that he had followed the directions of the policemen sitting in the car.