The Hindu : Now, Delhi CM's motorcade intrudes into PM's cavalcade

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Feb 27, 2003

National

National

Now, Delhi CM's motorcade intrudes into PM's cavalcade

By Our Staff Reporter

NEW DELHI FEB. 26. There was yet another intrusion into the cavalcade of the Prime Minister, Atal Behari Vajpayee, on Akbar Road in New Delhi this morning, but this time by the motorcade of the Delhi Chief Minister, Sheila Dikshit.

Around 10-30 a.m., Mr. Vajpayee's cavalcade was on its way to Parliament when on Akbar Road his escort vehicle spotted another motorcade coming from the opposite direction.

Instantly the traffic police officials, escorting the Prime Minister's cavalcade, intercepted the motorcade near Gol Maithi roundabout.

The police found that it was Ms. Dikshit's motorcade, following which her driver was asked to park the vehicle near the National Conference leader, Farooq Abdullah's residence, while one of her escort vehicles was made to park on the pavement and the other nearby.

Enquiries revealed that Ms. Dikshit was heading for a function in South-West Delhi. Her motorcade came into the Prime Minister's route reportedly due to a communication gap.

It is learnt that the officers deployed on the Prime Minister's route were communicating on a wireless channel other than the one being used to monitor Ms. Dikshit's movement. Such incidents of intrusion into the Prime Minister's route, which are being reported every now and then for the past one month, have raised serious doubts over security arrangements for the Prime Minister. Earlier, the Delhi police had claimed that they had reviewed the arrangements when they were taken to task following the reporting of a series of such intrusions.

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