Security cover for vulnerable, ‘important’ persons: India
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Entitlement
As in 2022
Deeptiman Tiwary, February 27, 2022: The Indian Express
Dera Sacha Sauda chief Gurmeet Ram Rahim has been provided Z plus category security by the Haryana government. The decision of the state government has generated considerable interest as Ram Rahim is serving a 20-year sentence for raping two women, and was released on furlough days ahead of the elections in Punjab on February 20. Also, the Centre recently provided central security cover to 25 BJP politicians from UP and Punjab until the end of the ongoing elections. Among the beneficiaries are the BJP candidate from Karhal constituency in UP’s Mainpuri, SPS Baghel, who is up against Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, and several Congress turncoats in Punjab.
Earlier, after the West Bengal Assembly elections, the Centre had provided central security cover to all 77 BJP MLAs amid reports of political violence in the state.
So, who gets protection from the government, either at the Centre or in a state?
Protection is generally given to someone who holds a position of consequence either in the government or in civil society — hence the informal description “VIP security”.
But the Centre is usually not keen to give protection to individuals — and therefore, a large number of even “important people” whose lives are deemed to be in danger, are provided security by state police forces based on assessments made by the state government.
Who decides the level of security protection an individual needs from the Centre or a state?
The level of security is decided by the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) in the case of the Centre, and by the state government in the case of states.
The assessment is based on inputs received from intelligence agencies, which include the Intelligence Bureau and the Research and Analysis Wing at the level of the Centre, and the state intelligence department in the case of the state government.
Agencies give a broad subjective assessment of the threat to life or injury to a person from terrorists or any other group based on information generated from their sources. This information can include intercepts of phone conversations, human intelligence, or a credible analysis of an open threat. By reason of the positions they hold in the government, certain individuals are automatically entitled to security cover. Among them are the Prime Minister and his immediate family. The Home Minister, and officials such as the National Security Advisor, too, generally get security cover.
Is it odd that only BJP politicians have been assessed as facing a threat during elections?
There is no bar technically — at the same time, it might appear curious that only members of the ruling party are provided security cover by the state.
The granting of VIP protection is more often than not a political decision. In many parts of the country, VIP protection is a status symbol, and the security entourage is seen to add to the aura of a politician.
In the case of Punjab, many of the 22 BJP politicians who were given central protection ahead of the elections, had written to the Centre claiming there was a threat to their lives. In UP too, security cover is often seen as a reflection of a politician’s stature.
At the same time, many politicians prefer not to move with a heavy security entourage because the disruption and inconvenience they cause to common people is seen as an annoyance. Often the public perceives such politicians to be distant and disconnected. Many of the BJP MLAs in West Bengal were said to have been uncomfortable after the Centre accorded them central security cover last year.
What about Ram Rahim? How is a rape convict found eligible?
Legally, there is no bar on the government providing protection to a convict if it is felt that his life may be in danger. In fact, it is the duty of the state to protect the lives of prisoners and convicts.
Haryana Home Minister Anil Vij said recently that he had no knowledge of any threat against Ram Rahim. The Dera chief was given security on the basis of a communication from a senior Haryana police officer who mentioned that he was facing a high-level threat from radical Sikh extremists in India and abroad. Chief Minister M L Khattar then accorded Ram Rahim security.
But isn’t the assessment supposed to be based on credible intelligence?
While the state police directly reports to the state government, none of the intelligence agencies in India are accountable to any statutory body, barring the internal oversight of the MHA and the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA).
The intelligence input generated by the agencies, particularly in the case to justify VIP security, is neither put in public domain, nor is open to scrutiny by any other agency. There is practically no accountability, barring to the government in power. As a result, VIP security is often open to manipulation by the executive.
Some decisions taken with regard to even non-politicians have raised eyebrows. For example, Bollywood actor Kangana Ranaut had been accorded Y plus category of CRPF security by the MHA in September 2020 in the wake of her spat with Shiv Sena leader Sanjay Raut, and after she expressed fear for her life.
However, Deepika Padukone, who had faced similar threats after standing up in support of protesting JNU students who had come under attack from outsiders, was not given cover.
What are the various levels of protection extended to individuals by governments at the Centre and the states?
There are largely six types of security cover: X, Y, Y plus, Z, Z plus, and SPG (Special Protection Group). While the SPG is meant only for the PM and his immediate family, other protection categories can be provided to anyone about whom the Centre or state governments have inputs about a threat. X category security usually entails one gunman protecting the individual; Y has one gunman for mobile security and one (plus four on rotation) for static security; Y plus has two policemen (plus four on rotation) for mobile security, and one (plus four on rotation) for residence security; Z has six gunmen for mobile security, and two (plus eight) for residence security; and Z plus has 10 security personnel for mobile security and two (plus eight) for residence security.
Even within these categories, there are various levels of cover. These include security of residence, mobile security, office security, and inter-state security.
Different VIPs are given different kinds of security cover, depending upon the threat perception. For example, if the Chhattisgarh CM is assessed to have a threat from Maoists only in his state, the Centre may chose to give him residence and mobile security only in his state. He may be given appropriate security by the concerned state police when he travels out.
Similarly, some may have a threat only when they travel, so they are given an escort force.
Also, different forces may be engaged for residence and mobile security. Many protectees get residence security by the state police but mobile security by a Central Armed Police Force (CAPF).
Which are the forces engaged in VIP security and who pays for the security?
For VIPs other than the PM, the government has mandated the National Security Guard (NSG), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to provide security cover. In case a state accords security, the state police provides protection.
The Centre has intended over the years to reduce the burden of VIP security on the NSG, which provides the most sought-after cover. It has been argued that the NSG’s core function is counter-terrorism operations, and not VIP security. It is for this reason that Home Minister Amit Shah and NSA Ajit Doval have been given CPRF and CISF cover respectively.
For anyone whom the government provides security after assessment by intelligence agencies, the cost is borne by the state. However, those who have Z and Z plus security, with many personnel at their residence and as part of their mobile security, are sometimes required to factor in accommodation for these personnel.
Former Chief Justice of India P Sathasivam had in 2014 famously refused VIP security provided by the government after his retirement, as he had moved to his ancestral home which did not have space to accommodate so many personnel. Until the time he was CJI, he enjoyed Z plus security, which was downgraded to Z category security of the CRPF post-retirement.
Free cover is not a right, however. The government can choose to bill a private individual for security even after making a threat assessment. Industrialist Mukesh Ambani was provided Z category CRPF cover in 2013 after an assessment by the IB of a threat to his life. But in its order, the government asked the CRPF to charge Ambani Rs 15 lakh per month for the cover.
