Seven Fortuners in CM convoy running for 7 months without official approval amid IPS dispute

A significant internal dispute among IPS officers has left seven Toyota Fortuner vehicles in the Chief Minister’s convoy running for over seven months without formal approval, raising concerns about protocol and security.

In a move to upgrade his security fleet, the chief minister’s convoy saw the replacement of older Scorpio vehicles with seven new Fortuners. While these SUVs have been equipped with necessary security features and deployed since then, the official approval files remain stuck in the government’s clearance process.

A committee entrusted with conducting technical and safety inspections before legalising the vehicles requires signatures from IPS officers. 

Sources within the police department confirm that a senior IPS officer has already signed the approval for the Fortuners, but an SP-rank IPS officer has withheld his signature. He insists that all seven vehicles undergo individual fitness checks before the final sign-off, asserting it is part of his official duty. 

Despite departmental assurances that security measures are in place and the vehicles are functional in the convoy, the lack of formal approval has sparked an internal impasse. Colleagues report amusement over the stand-off, calling it a bureaucratic stalemate sparked by the SP officer’s ego, even as others expect the signatures to be finalised within a day or two.