Officers of the Special Protection Group (SPG) expressed serious concern over security lapses during Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s visit to Rajaji Hall on Wednesday to pay homage to DMK leader M. Karunanidhi . Mr. Gandhi had to literally wade through a crowd of emotionally charged cadres in unfamiliar terrain, with SPG officers getting separated from him. With none of the visitors being frisked, the SPG had more reason to be alarmed.
It was only after the elite security group took up the issue with top police officers that additional escort vehicles were provided to the Congress leader when he left for the airport.
“SPG officials informed us of the shortcomings in security arrangements at the Rajaji Hall. We explained the circumstances that led to the minor confusion that resulted in the public getting too close to the VIPS. Additional security cover was provided immediately after the issue was flagged,” a top police officer told The Hindu on Thursday.
SPG is an elite central force that provides proximate security cover to the Prime Minister, former Prime Ministers and their immediate family members with a ‘zero error’ motto.
The entry by a staircase at the rear of Rajaji Hall was earmarked for VIPs, prominent leaders and celebrities. The public was meant to enter only through the main entrance of the Government Multi Speciality Hospital.
“For more than an hour we blocked the entry to the dais and people waited in large numbers. When the gates were opened after Prime Minister Narendra Modi left, the people forced their way through barricades and rushed towards the rear entry, which was reserved for VIPs. Though we used mild force to move them back, things went out of control at one point of time,” a senior police officer, who was part of the bandobust at Rajaji Hall, said.
When Mr Gandhi arrived at the rear entry, a huge crowd was already standing on the staircase leading to the dais. SPG officials were taken aback on seeing a large number of people but could not move back since there was a bigger crowd following.
Video: S. Vijay Kumar
Mr. Gandhi, however, moved forward, giving a tough time to security personnel. With just one constable of the Tamil Nadu police in uniform clinging to the half rail of the staircase, he had to proceed step by step till Additional Director General of Police Sunil Kumar Singh managed to push through the crowd and receive him. There were neither metal detectors nor surveillance cameras in the area.
Communication gap
Though the visit of Mr. Gandhi was known and his movement coordinated by the Security Branch CID of the State police, his arrival at the rear entry of Rajaji Hall was a surprise, said a senior police officer. There was a communication gap in receiving minute-to-minute movement information about the convoy at the field level. “This is a serious security lapse though it can’t be construed as a dereliction of duty since a meticulous security scheme was drawn up for the event taking into account the visit of VVIPs. The SPG did not inform us of the exact location...our clearance was not taken before the VVIP reached the venue,” an officer said. When the crowd became unmanageable, Police Commissioner A K Viswanathan, Additional Commissoner of Police M.C. Sarangan, ADGP M. Ravi and senior officers took over the VIP zone with a handful of constables.
The officer said every party leader came in a convoy of half-a-dozen vehicles and a group of cadres. “About 5,000 police personnel were manning an estimated two lakh people. A sizeable number of security personnel were diverted to the Marina after the site was cleared for burial,” the officer said. Mr. Gandhi was not the only leader who was caught in the crowd. Chief Ministers and former Chief Ministers who came after Mr. Modi got the same treatment. The usual Advance Security Liaisoning (ASL) meeting, usually done for SPG protectees’ was not held since it was a funeral.
