Kangana Ranaut slapgate: Did the MP-elect not have security?

Bollywood actor and MP-elect Kangana Ranaut was allegedly slapped by a Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) woman constable at Chandigarh airport on Thursday (6 June). The accused, identified as Kulwinder Kaur, has reportedly been arrested.

Reports surfaced that Ranaut purportedly got into a heated exchange with the CISF constable, who then allegedly slapped the actor at the security check.

A first information report (FIR) was filed against the constable and she was also suspended. Sources told NDTV that Kaur has been arrested for allegedly slapping Ranaut.

The incident raises questions about the MP-elect’s security. Did Kangana Ranaut have no security during the incident? How are MPs protected in India?

Let’s understand.

Did Kangana Ranaut have security?

Yes.

The videos shared online show multiple security officers accompanying her to the check-in at the airport. Ranaut was about to board the flight to Delhi when the alleged incident took place.

The footage on social media shows the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader embroiled in an argument before being escorted away. The clip does not capture the alleged slap.

In another video that emerged online, Kaur can be seen referring to Ranaut’s past unsavoury remarks on farmers’ protests. The accused constable says that her mother was among the farmers holding a sit-in protest against the Centre’s farm laws (now repealed).

“She (Kangana) stated that the farmers are sitting there for Rs 100. Will she go and sit there? My mother was sitting there and protesting when she gave this statement…” Kaur said, as per ANI.

In December 2020, Ranaut faced intense backlash for suggesting that women at the farmers’ protest were “available for Rs 100” to attend the demonstration. She deleted the tweet later.

NDTV report says that after allegedly slapping Ranaut, the paramilitary constable told the actor it was for “disrespecting farmers”.

According to India Today, after Ranaut’s flight landed in Delhi, the BJP MP-elect from Mandi met CISF Director General Nina Singh and other senior officials to raise the incident.

Later, she shared a video on her social media accounts. “I am getting a lot of phone calls, from the media and my well-wishers. First of all, I am safe, I am perfectly fine,” Ranaut said.

She further commented, “The incident happened at the security check-in. The woman guard waited for me to cross. She then came from the side and hit me. She started throwing expletives. I asked why she hit me. She said ‘I support farmers’. I am safe, but my concern is terrorism is rising in Punjab. How do we handle that?”

Her remarks drew condemnation from several quarters. Samyukt Kisan Morcha or SKM (non-political) leader Jagjit Singh Dallewal told PTI action should be taken against Ranaut for her statement on Punjab. He also threw his weight behind the accused constable, demanding a proper investigation.

Kangana Ranaut’s Y plus security

Ranaut enjoys a Y plus security cover that she was provided by the Central government in 2020 after the actor claimed she feared the Mumbai Police.

This came following her spat with the (undivided) Shiv Sena and the Maharashtra government which was then led by Uddhav Thackeray.

The Y+ category of security, which is unofficially called “VIP security”, includes eight to 11 personnel, including commandos, as per a Business Standard report.

Five personnel guard the protectee’s residence, reported ThePrint.

Two personal security officers (PSOs) are also present with the protectee at all times, one with a 9 mm pistol and another with a Sten gun. Four other PSOs are also deployed with the protectee.

Last year, Shah Rukh Khan’s security cover was upgraded to the Y+ category after he reportedly got death threats post the success of his films Pathan and Jawan.

Besides the Special Protection Group (SPG) that is reserved for India’s prime minister, the other levels of VIP security cover are Z+, Z, Y and X. They are accorded based on the perceived level of threat to the individual.

The SPG cover is also provided to families of former prime ministers for five years after the tenure ends.

What security do MPs get?

Kangana Ranaut, who was elected from Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi in the recently concluded Lok Sabha elections, is eligible for security granted to Members of Parliament in India.

The ‘Blue Book’ issued by the Home Ministry lays down guidelines for the security of the VVIPs that include India’s President, Vice-President and Prime Minister, and visiting heads of state.

The security framework for politicians and other VIPs is defined in the ‘Yellow Book’. The security arrangements for them are made after careful evaluation of the threat perception from criminals, terrorists, and other miscreants.

In 2015, the then Minister of State (MoS) for Home had informed the Rajya Sabha that security cover to individuals, including MPs, was provided on the basis of individual threat perception, as per PTI.

The state governments also provide security to MPs.

With inputs from agencies