Centre withdraws VIP security cover of Mukul Roy

The Z-category VIP security cover of West Bengal politician and MLA Mukul Roy, who recently re-joined the Trinamool Congress after a brief stint with the Bharatiya Janata Party, has been withdrawn, official sources said on Thursday.

They said the Union home ministry has directed the Central Reserve Police Force to recall its detachment deployed with the 67-year-old Roy.

Roy had last week joined West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee-led TMC along with his son Subhrangshu in Kolkata.

Sources said Roy, who won the assembly election as a BJP candidate from Krishnanagar Uttar constituency, had written to the Centre to withdraw the security cover, which has now been given effect to.

Roy had quit the TMC after being removed from the post of the party's national general secretary. He had joined the BJP in November, 2017, and was made the party's national vice president.

Soon after, he was accorded a low category Y+ central security cover of the central paramilitary CRPF which was upgraded to the second top level of Z just before the assembly polls in the state that were held in March-April this year.

He had a contingent of about 22-24 armed CRPF commandos who used to move with him every time he travelled in West Bengal.

Sources said the small category security cover being provided to Subhrangshu by another central paramilitary force CISF has also been withdrawn.

The father-son duo is now being provided security by the state police.