A superintendent of police in Punjab has been suspended for alleged dereliction of duty in connection with the security lapse during Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to the state, The Hindu reported on Saturday.

On January 5 last year, Modi had to abort his visit to Punjab’s Ferozepur, which led to a massive controversy. His convoy was stuck on a flyover for over 15 minutes as protestors blocked the road to Hussainiwala village in the district. The Centre had described it a “major security lapse”.

However, Congress MLA Charanjit Singh Channi, who was the Punjab chief minister at the time, had dismissed the claim. He had said there was no threat at all to the prime minister’s security and that Modi had a sudden change of plan.

An order issued by the Punjab Home Department on November 22 said that Bathinda Superintendent of Police Gurbinder Singh has been suspended from duty with immediate effect. Singh was the superintendent of police (operations) in Ferozepur at the time of the security lapse.

The order came after the Punjab director general of police said in a report to the home department on October 18 that Singh did not properly perform his duty, reported NDTV.

A report submitted by a Supreme Court-appointed panel in August last year had balmed the Ferozpur senior superintendent of police, among other officials, of negligence in duty.