Lax security at Narendra Modi's office exposed, two cops suspended

AHMEDABAD: Two junior-level police officers stationed at the Secretariat in Gandhinagar, which houses the office of Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, were suspended for negligence of duty.

Sub-Inspectors I D Rathore and NR Kotwal were found lax during vehicle checking when a security drill was underway to verify alertness of personnel posted to guard the seat of power in the state capital, police said.

"A private vehicle was sent as decoy in which there were five to six persons armed with weapons. But, the vehicle was allowed to enter the Secretariat without checking and proper verification by the two PSIs who were stationed at Gate No. 1 and 4 of the building," an official said.

"Rathore and Kotwal were on duty at these two gates and they have been suspended with immediate effect. Their reinstatement will be subject to clearance from senior officials," he said.

Gujarat Police stepped up Modi's security following bomb blasts at his public rally in Patna late last month.

According to top security officials, the BJP's Prime Ministerial candidate, whose inner security cordon is manned by elite counter-terror force NSG, is on the radar of terror organisations like Indian Mujahideen.