Govt to review security given to 'VIPs'; many protectees' cover may be downgraded

New Delhi: The security cover given to several politicians and other ‘VIPs’ will come under review of a high-powered committee, which will examine whether they remain vulnerable to attacks by terrorists and organised groups, a home ministry official said. [caption id=“attachment_815803” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] Representational image. AP[/caption] The committee, headed by the Union home secretary, will this week examine threadbare the intelligence inputs about the threat perceptions of these VIPs, many of them politicians, and whether they need protection by elite commandos of the National Security Guard and other central security forces like the CRPF and CISF. There is a possibility of pruning the list of ‘VIPs’, who enjoy security cover under four categories, ‘Z-plus’, ‘Z’, ‘X’ and ‘Y’, the official said. However, whose security cover will be downgraded will be known only after the committee reviews the intelligence inputs of every individual, the official said. Those who enjoy the highest ‘Z-plus’ category security include former chief minister of Bihar Lalu Prasad, former chief ministers of Uttar Pradesh Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati, former chief ministers of Assam Prafulla Kumar Mahanta and Tarun Gogoi. Around 20 securitymen guard a ‘Z-plus’ protectee, 15 security personnel guard a ‘Z’ category protectee and the number gradually go down with ‘X’ and ‘Y’ category protectee. Around 75 ‘VIPs’ are guarded by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), around 70 by the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), around 15 by the Indo Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), around 12 by the National Security Guard (NSG) and around 200 by the Delhi Police.