Bhartiya Kisan Union (BKU) Krantikari said they were the ones who blocked the PM’s convoy on Wednesday in Punjab. He has stated that they were told by Ferozepur SSP the PM was coming on that particular road shortly.
#WATCH | SSP Ferozepur asked us to vacate the road saying that the prime minister was going to the rally venue by road. We thought he was bluffing: BKU (Krantikari) chief Surjit Singh Phool pic.twitter.com/5bxE8yzqyD
— The Times Of India (@timesofindia) January 6, 2022
Surjeet Singh Phul, leader of the BKU (Krantikari), has informed this through a video in which he claims to clarify what actually has happened on the spot.
‘There was a mob of 2500’
Surjeet Singh in his video has said, “Actually the point at which we were standing was at a distance of about 750 meters to 1 kilometre from the flyover where the jam happened. The convoy could not come down, instead, it had to stop back on the flyover itself. The convoy was stuck there for about fifteen to twenty minutes. Soon, a crowd of around 2500 which included at least a thousand members of BKU itself, had gathered there.”
‘We did not plan to stop the convoy, we were just there and it was stopped because of us’ says BKU Krantikari leader Phul
Surjeet Singh further added that BJP workers were already present on the location even before the convoy arrived. Putting allegations against them, he said, “BJP workers stepped down from their buses and started beating us. In all, there were more than 2500 people. In this much of crowd, how can one identify a Prime Minister even if he stands beside him? “We had not planned to block the roads to the convoy but he just happened to be there, he added.
‘Was heading towards the DC office, but policed stopped us midway’
In an attempt to dismiss the allegations of any planned conspiracy by the so called protesting farmers, Surjeet Singh said that they were essentially going to the district collector’s office. He did not ascertain anything about why they were willing to visit the office. Further he said that it was the police who stopped them midway and prevented from going ahead towards the DC’s office which is why they had to jam the roads. He tried to play innocent by pretending that there was no alternative left to them but to jam the roads, and eventually the PM’s convoy was just one of those who got a little bit troubled.
Bhartiya Kisan Union (Krantikari) have claimed responsibility for stalling the cavalcade of Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Piareana village of Ferozepur district..#GoBackModi #bkukrantikari @PunYaab @HarpalSSangha @GurnamsinghBku @Kisanektamorcha @mandeeppunia1 @ANI pic.twitter.com/q7uDnP0j71
— Surjeet Singh Phul (@phul_surjeet) January 6, 2022
About the role of the Punjab police
Surjeet Singh said, “The police knew it in the morning at about 10:30AM that the PM is arriving here after landing at Bhatinda airport. Nobody believed in first place that the PM is arriving here. It was all unplanned. Nothing of it was preplanned. So, we are declaring that, if after cancelling the aerial route and then taking the road route, the Prime Minister had to go back due to the blocked roads, it is only because of us and our protest march; but we really didn’t have any plan to do so. Once we blocked to roads, as the police prohibited us from going ahead, anyone passing by would have to face the same thing and thus the PM’s convoy too got trapped into the same. i am informing this truth to the media as we had no plan to block his way, we were just busy in our protests.”
Major security lapse by Punjab Police
The Union Home Ministry had yesterday stated that the security breach has been a major lapse by the Punjab Police. The Punjab Police were informed ahead about the PM’s schedule and the convoy had started only after necessary clearance by the Punjab DGP. It is the state police’s responsibility to provide a clear path for the PM’s convoy and the Punjab Police had evidently failed to do so.
As per available details so far, the Punjab Police was aware that there is a roadblock in the area due to farmer protests. The Punjab Police still gave the go-ahead to the PM’s security staff on the same route, knowing there is a roadblock. Further, the Punjab Police failed to clear the roadblock and created a major security lapse as the PM’s convoy was held for over 20 minutes, with dozens of civilian vehicles and thousands of people blocking the path. The police also did not provide an alternative route and eventually, the PM’s security staff decided to bring the PM back to Bathinda airport.
The Punjab government led by the Congress party, while tying itself in knots over contradictory statements, has suspended the Ferozepur SSP.
In several videos that have emerged on social media, the Punjab Police are seen casually hanging with the protestors and sipping tea while the PM’s convoy remains stranded.
Questions raised over Congress’ intentions
As the Punjab CM Charanjeet Singh Channi of Congress party entangles himself with various contradicting statements and stands after this incidence of lapse in the security of PM Modi, questions are being raised on the intentions of the Congress party who is currently ruling the state. The party workers were also seen celebrating the security breach while its leaders were seen posting comments like “How’s the josh, Modi ji?” on social media.
Congress leaders were also seen boasting that they were aware of the planned protests and intentions to prevent the PM’s public address in the state.
