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Breach at Karnataka event as teen tries to garland PM Modi
Police, however, said the incident cannot be called a security breach as everyone had been frisked and checked.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s security was breached during a roadshow in Karnataka’s Hubballi district on Thursday after a teenager cut through the barricades and tried to hand over a garland to him, according to people aware of the matter.
Police, however, said the incident cannot be called a security breach as everyone had been frisked and checked.
The incident took place at around 4.30pm at Hubballi, 400 km from Bengaluru, when Modi was holding a roadshow and was on his way to inaugurate the 26th National Youth Festival, on the occasion of the birth anniversary of Swami Vivekananda, at Hubballi railway ground.
The boy cut the security cordon and ran towards the Prime Minister with a garland in his hands, the people cited above said. He was whisked away from the spot by Special Protection Group (SPG) personnel and is being questioned by police.
There was no statement from the Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) at the time of filing this report.
Hubballi-Dharwad city police commissioner Raman Gupta said there was no security breach. “It was a sanitised crowd. All garlands and people were frisked before they were let in,” he said in a statement.
Gupta said over 3,000 policemen were deployed as part of the security arrangements and the entire road was barricaded.
A senior police officer said the route from the Hubballi airport till the venue of the event was sanitised by the SPG and the police.
“Those who were allowed inside the barricade were checked and this teenager had permission to approach the Prime Minister as per the original plan. But we will submit a report over to the SPG as per protocol,” the officer said, seeking anonymity.
Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Ganesh Karnik sought a thorough probe into the matter.
“We must understand that it is the love and affection of the people of Hubballi that a young boy wanted to garland a modern icon of the country. But security should not be taken lightly. This could have been done in a more organised manner. Police and other agencies should look into this seriously,” he said.
The Congress also raised concerns over the security breach.
“It is worrisome to see that the security of our Prime Minister was breached. We have seen similar incidents in the past where people have come close to his convoy. A person running with a garland was a reminder of what happened to our former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi. As a Prime Minister, Modi should have multiple levels of security, so it is important to ascertain whether the security breach happened from the police’s side or SPG,” state Congress spokesperson Lavanya Ballal said.
In an unprecedented breach on January 5 last year, Modi’s convoy was stuck on a flyover near Punjab’s Ferozepur for 15-20 minutes due to a blockade by protesters.
The Prime Minister, who was travelling by road from Bathinda airport due to the inclement weather, had to call off his plans to address the BJP rally in Ferozepur.
Returning to Delhi, Modi was quoted by ANI as having told state government officials at Bathinda airport, “Apne CM ko thanks kehna, ki me Bathinda airport tak zinda laut paya. (Say thanks to your CM that I came back alive till Bathinda airport).”
Then chief minister Charanjit Singh Channi denied the allegations of any security breach of the Prime Minister, saying that he did it have information about the last-minute change in the latter’s route.
A five-member committee, led by former Supreme Court judge Justice Indu Malhotra, later found lapses on part of the Punjab Police and suggested remedial measures to strengthen the Prime Minister’s security.
