‘Remove bulletproof glass or I won’t speak’: Ex-officer recalls PM Modi’s demand on I-Day 2014

PM
Modi
said,
‘if
this
stays
i
f o t
of
me,
I
would
ot
be
able
to
add ess
the
citize s’,”
the
office
ecalled.

Fo me
defe ce
sec eta y
RK
Mathu
has
ecalled
how
P ime
Mi iste
Na e d a

Modi
i sisted
o
emovi g
the
bulletp oof
glass
ba ie
f om
the
Red
Fo t
befo e
delive i g
his
fi st
I depe de ce
Day
add ess
as
P ime
Mi iste
i
2014.Speaki g
about
the
episode,
Mathu
said
he
a d
the
the
Di ecto
of
the

I tellige ce
Bu eau
(IB)
had
b iefed
Modi
about
the
secu ity
a a geme ts
ahead
of
August
15.
The
officials
had
specifically
discussed
the
bulletp oof
glass
ba ie
placed
i
f o t
of
the
P ime
Mi iste .”Me
a d
the
Di ecto
of
I tellige ce
Bu eau
(IB),
we t
to

PM
Modi
fo
a
b iefi g
befo e
August
15
because
it
was
his
fi st
I depe de ce
Day
whe e
he
would
add ess
the
cou t y
f om
the
ampa ts
of
the
Red
Fo t
(as
the
P ime
Mi iste ).””Du i g
that
co ve satio
we
explai ed
him
(PM
Modi)
that
the e
is
a
ba ie
i
f o t
of
him
which
is
the
bulletp oof
glass.
PM
Modi
said,
‘if
this
stays
i
f o t
of
me,
I
would
ot
be
able
to
add ess
the
citize s’,”
he
told
ews
age cy
IANS.Mathu
said
secu ity
officials
i itially
opposed
emovi g
the
shield
because
of
the
isks
i volved.
The
locatio
offe s
a
wide
view
of
the
su ou di g
a ea,
i cludi g
buildi gs
i
Cha d i
Chowk,
maki g
secu ity
a a geme ts
pa ticula ly
se sitive.

“F om
ou
side,
this
was
atu ally
a
secu ity
issue.
As
people
k ow,
the
e ti e
Cha d i
Chowk
a ea
is
visible
f om
the e
(Red
Fo t)
whe e
the e
a e
ma y
buildi gs.
That
is
why,
f om
a
secu ity
sta dpoi t
we
u ged
the
P ime
Mi iste
to
ethi k
his
decisio .
Howeve ,
PM
Modi
clea ly
stated
that
if
this
(bulletp oof
shield)
is
ot
emoved,
he
will
ot
add ess.”The
fo me
defe ce
sec eta y
said
the
secu ity
team
eve tually
ag eed
to
Modi’s
dema d
a d
emoved
the
glass
ba ie
just
hou s
befo e
the
I depe de ce
Day
ce emo y.”Due
to
this,
I
a d
the
di ecto
of
IB
cha ged
ou
sta dpoi t
a d
decided
to
emove
the
bulletp oof
glass.
This
glass
shield
was
the
emoved
o
the
i te ve i g
ight
of
August
14
a d
15,
at
about
2
am,”
Mathu
added.The
episode
was
ecalled
as
Modi
o ce
agai
depa ted
f om
established
secu ity
p otocol
du i g
the
80th
I depe de ce
Day
celeb atio s
o
Satu day,
whe
he
met
schoolchild e ,
NCC
cadets
a d
‘My
Bha at’
volu tee s
at
the
Red
Fo t
afte
his
add ess.

Du i g
the
i te actio ,
a
you g
gi l
app oached
Modi
a d
be t
dow
to
touch
his
feet.
As
she
did
so,
he
cap
slipped
f om
he
head
a d
fell
to
the
g ou d.Modi
immediately
be t
dow ,
picked
up
the
cap
a d
placed
it
back
o
the
gi l’s
head.
The
gestu e
d ew
smiles
a d
applause
f om
the
child e
a d
people
a ou d
them.