Modi's Punjab visit: Punjab also sets up probe commission

Saurabh Malik

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, January 6

Constituted this morning to probe alleged lapses during PM Narendra Modi’s Punjab visit, a high-level committee headed by Justice Mehtab Singh Gill has sent a questionnaire to the police functionaries concerned, including the Director General of Police.

Justice Mehtab sends posers to DGP, others

Prima facie, there is a lapse somewhere, which the probe panel will look into before fixing responsibility. — Justice Mehtab Singh Gill committee head

Report in 3 days

• The committee comprises Justice Mehtab Singh Gill and Principal Secretary, Home Affairs and Justice, Anurag Verma
• The panel, which has been given three days to submit its report, has sent a questionnaire to the state DGP and other officers

Available information suggests the committee gave the DGP time till evening to submit his response to the questionnaire. Some other police officers have been given time till 9 pm tomorrow.

When contacted, Justice Gill refused to divulge details, but said the response received from the police officers would be scrutinised minutely before forming an opinion on the issue.

Describing the matter as “very serious”, Justice Gill said: “The incident has raised concerns about the approach adopted by the law and order maintenance machinery towards security issues. Prima facie, there is a lapse somewhere, which the committee will look into before fixing responsibility.”

Earlier in the day, the state government constituted the committee to carry out a “thorough probe into the lapses that occurred during the Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Ferozepur” on Wednesday.

An official spokesperson said Principal Secretary, Home Affairs and Justice, Anurag Verma was also a member of the committee that had been given three days to submit its report.

A former Judge of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, Justice Mehtab Singh Gill is currently functioning as Punjab Chief Vigilance Commissioner.