Security lapse on Rajpath, close to South Block
Security lapse on Rajpath, close to South Block
In a major security lapse, a 20-year-old woman Monday almost broke through the security ring for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s convoy near South Block just seconds before the cavalcade passed, sending the security agencies into a tizzy. The woman, identified as Neena Rawal, even threw a flowerpot on the heavily-guarded Rajpath when the security personnel stopped her from crossing the barricades.
Neena, a resident of Sahibabad, Uttar Pradesh, was later detained and taken to the Parliament Street police station, where the Delhi police and IB officials jointly interrogated her. She was then taken for a medical checkup at Ram Manohar Lohia Hospital.
The police said the incident took place at around 2.12 pm seconds before the PM’s convoy left from South Block. “The woman was part of the crowd which was asked to clear the road and assemble at a pavement near Vijay Chowk,” said a senior police officer, adding: “While the others waited patiently, she became furious when asked to move back and then entered into an altercation with the security personnel.”
DCP (New Delhi district) Jatin Narwal said she pushed down three barricades and by the time she could be stopped, she ran towards Raisina Hill, where she threw a flowerpot on the road before being whisked away to the police station. On being questioned, she told the police some hooligans near her house had tore her marksheet and harassed her, for which she had lodged a complaint there but the police allegedly took no action.
Left with no other option, she told the police, she came to Vijay Chowk for “justice” and to “gain the respect she deserved”. The police said she didn’t know anything about the timing of the PM’s convoy.
Earlier, Neena took a Metro train from Ghaziabad and reached the Central Secretariat Metro station 15 minutes before the incident. “Though she claims she did not about the PM’s convoy, the accuracy of her timing is suspicious,” said a police officer, who added: “The matter is being examined from all possible angles.”
