Kiran Patel row: Congress questions Centre over national security, slams PM

Khera accused the Prime Minister of being ‘dedicated’ to industrialist Gautam Adani so much that he (PM Modi) has lost a track of what else is happening in the nation. He asked the centre on what grounds Kiran Patel was provided with a Z+ security cover and was allowed to go to areas where civilians are not allowed to visit

The Congress on Friday took a dig at the centre on the matter related to alleged Gujarat conman Kiran Patel, who impersonated as a government official. Congress leader Pawan Khera slammed Prime Minister Narendra Modi for letting ‘a conman’ rob the government facilities in the name of an official from Prime Minister’s Office (PMO).

Congress leader Pawan Khera (File Photo)

Khera questioned the security system of the country and asked what took so long for the government to arrest Patel, as he kept misusing the government facilities for over five months.

On March 2, Jammu and Kashmir police’s Crime Investigation Department (CID) wing gave information to the police about the arrival of an impersonator in Kashmir, this third trip to the region as a government official following which the Srinagar senior superintendent of police (SSP) immediately sent a team to the Lalit hotel and made the arrest. Following his arrest, the security officials also recovered forged identity cards from his possession.

Khera accused the Prime Minister of being ‘dedicated’ to industrialist Gautam Adani so much that he (PM Modi) has lost a track of what else is happening in the nation. He asked the centre on what grounds Kiran Patel was provided with a Z+ security cover and was allowed to go to areas where civilians are not allowed to visit.

“Whose governance is in Kashmir? To whom do they report? Kiran Patel had gone to Jammu and Kashmir for the third time in the last five years. Who has given the government the consent to play around with the national security of the country? Which tool kit is it part of?” Khera asked referring to the Patel case as a matter of national security.

The Congress leader said when thousands of Kashmiri pandits are being targeted and losing their lives, how can Kiran Patel get Z+ security? “Kashmiri pandits are not provided with any security, be it X, Y, Z or Z+,” Khera said. “Is your name alone on a card enough Modiji, to get Z+ security?” Khera asked.

Patel was nabbed by security officials in Srinagar on March 3 while on his third visit to the Kashmir valley. He was arrested under relevant sections of cheating and forgery for impersonating an ‘additional secretary’ in the Centre, a day after the case was registered.

Upon investigation, police found Kiran Bhai Patel, the son of Juddesh Bhai Patel and a resident of Ahmadabad, was posing as the Additional Director (strategy and campaigns) of the PMO. Police said that he had three previous cases of cheating and forgery in Vadodara, Ahmedabad and Bayad.

He was on his third visit to the Kashmir valley and was subsequently arrested by alert security officials on March 3.

During Patel’s earlier visit to Kashmir, he had travelled to tourist hot spots like Gulmarg claiming that the government had tasked him to look for improvement of hotel facilities in the area.

His Twitter handle – a verified one – showed him successfully evading security scanners as in multiple videos and pictures of his visits to Kashmir, he is seen surrounded by paramilitary personnel. He claims to have a PhD from Commonwealth University, Virginia, an MBA from IIM Trichy, as well as, an M Tech in Computer Science and BE in computer engineering.