Patna: A major security lapse was reported in Patna on Thursday when a man suddenly walked up to Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar with a sealed envelope. The incident happened just after the Chief Minister, along with Governor Arif Mohammad Khan, had paid tribute to the statue of former Prime Minister Lal Bahadur Shastri on his birth anniversary. As Kumar stepped down from the stage, the man came forward holding the envelope, which briefly startled the Chief Minister before security personnel quickly caught hold of him.
The man was taken into custody on the spot and the envelope was seized. A video of the entire incident has gone viral on social media, sparking debate about how such breaches are happening despite the Chief Minister being guarded by one of the strongest security arrangements in the country.
Nitish Kumar enjoys Z+ category security along with ASL protection. He is guarded by the Special Security Group (SSG), a team of nearly 200 trained commandos drawn from the police, CRPF, ITBP, NSG and SPG. Strict rules are in place that prevent anyone from approaching the Chief Minister without clearance. Even simple gestures such as garlanding or handing over papers are not allowed without thorough verification. His security is considered to be on par with that of the Prime Minister.
Despite this, Thursday’s incident was yet another example of a breach in recent months. Opposition leaders and citizens have questioned how someone managed to get so close to the Chief Minister at a public event. Police have said that the man is being interrogated to find out his identity, the reason for approaching Kumar, and the contents of the envelope.
Officials have promised a detailed investigation into how the lapse occurred and whether there were failures in the security setup. For now, while Nitish Kumar was unharmed, the incident has once again highlighted serious gaps in the safety system around Bihar’s top leader, especially at a time when the state is preparing for elections.
