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Many VVIPs to be shorn of special security

Onkar Singh in New Delhi

If the Union Home Minister L K Advani has his way the number of VVIPs being provided security at the public expense would come down drastically. The home minister had made a statement to this effect in the Lok Sabha few days ago while replying to a question by a member.

At present 216 politicians and bureaucrats are being provided special security by the government under various categories. While 17 VIPs enjoy Z plus security -- the highest on the scale -- 26 are in the Z category and the rest in X plus, X and Y categories.

According to the home ministry sources the number of VIPs enjoying Z plus category security would be cut down drastically. "What we heard in the last few days is that those in this category would be confined to just three," Congress leader Jagdish Tytler told rediff.com. He is one of those who has been given security under the Z plus category.

Besides Prime Minister Vajpayee and L K Advani, others who come under this category include politicians like Buta Singh, Jayalaitha, Arjun Singh, Rajesh Pilot, Mayavati, Sajjan Kumar, H K L Bhagat, Maninderjit Singh Bitta, the chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir Farooq Abdullah, the chief minister of Punjab Prakash Singh Badal and former Union minister Surjit Singh Barnala. K P S Gill, the former director general of Punjab police also comes under this category.

Since annually, the government of India spends over Rs 2,500 million on VIP security it was felt that the list of those enjoying security at the government expense should be brought down. Last year the number of VIPs in this list was over three hundred and fifty. On the recommendation of the Intelligence Bureau the number was brought down to 216.

Among those who lost their security cover last year are prominent journalist Khushwant Singh, former CBI director Joginder Singh and Ved Marwah, now governor of Manipur. Security for Ashwini Minha, the Delhi editor of the Punjab Kesari, was scaled down from Z plus to Z category.

A senior officer of Intelligence Bureau admitted that most of those who figure on the list should have had their security cover withdrawn long ago as the threat perception to their lives was no longer there. "When we scaled down the security of Mayavati she raised a hue and cry about it. The same thing happened in the case of Jayalalitha. Because of political considerations their security cover was restored. But this time around a committee headed by Home Secretary Kamal Pande has made comprehensive recommendations and we hope that the government would not buckle under pressure," he said.

A spokesman for the home ministry while confirming this refused to divulge further details. "The process is already on and a decision in this regard would soon be announced by the minister himself," he said. He however pleaded ignorance when asked which politicians have been excluded from the list or whose security has been downgraded. The matter is being examined and the media would be informed in due course, he explained.

The home ministry had set up two separate committees -- one under the chairmanship of the home secretary and the other under the special secretary, home. These committees were set up in 1997 and had given an interim report in 1998 when some of the politicians raised a hue and cry about the downgrading of their security.

According to sources the number of VIPs given security cover would come down to less then one hundred and fifty.

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