New Delhi. The central government has ordered to completely remove anti-terrorist commando force NSG from VIP security and hand over the security of nine ‘extremely important’ people (VIPs) to CRPF by next month. Official sources gave this information on Wednesday. The Home Ministry has also approved the addition of a new battalion of specially trained soldiers to the VIP security cell of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). This battalion was recently removed from Parliament security.
Sources said that the nine VIPs of ‘Z Plus’ category, protected by the ‘Black Cat’ commandos of the National Security Guard (NSG), include Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, former Chief Minister of the state and BSP President Mayawati, Union Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Senior BJP leader and former Deputy Prime Minister LK Advani, Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal are included.
According to sources, these include BJP leaders and Chhattisgarh. Former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir Raman Singh, former Chief Minister of Jammu and Kashmir and Democratic Progressive Azad Party (DPAP) President Ghulam Nabi Azad, National Conference (NC) President Farooq Abdullah and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu are also present. All of them will now be provided security cover of CRPF.
He said the transfer of responsibilities between the two forces under the Home Ministry is likely to be completed within a month.
A senior officer told PTI that the CRPF, which has six VIP security battalions, has been asked to include another seventh battalion for this purpose. The new battalion will be the one which was engaged in the security of the Parliament till a few months ago.
The official said that after the security lapse in Parliament came to light last year, the security of Parliament was handed over from CRPF to CISF. According to sources, as part of the process of assuming the new charge, a team of Andhra Pradesh Police was in Delhi recently in view of the security of its Chief Minister being changed from NSG to CRPF. According to sources, two of these nine VIPs will also be provided with Advanced Security Contact (ASL) protocol given by CRPF. These include Defense Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath.
In ASL, the venue of the VIP’s upcoming visit is checked in advance. The CRPF follows such protocol for five VIPs in the country, which include Home Minister Amit Shah, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and three Congress leaders from the Gandhi family. The plan to free the NSG from VIP security duties had been in the making since 2012, when NSG commanders had anticipated an incident in which there would be simultaneous terrorist attacks on multiple centers in the country and commandos would be deployed in different directions. I may have to send it.
PTI had reported in January 2020 that after the SPG (Special Security Group) was removed from the security of the Gandhi family – Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, a committee of the Home Ministry had recommended withdrawing the NSG from VIP security duties. Have decided.
The central government has decided to ‘reorganize’ the NSG and augment and deploy ‘strike teams’ of commandos in some high-risk areas near the Ram temple in Ayodhya and around some important properties located in the southern part of the country. It has been decided to use manpower. ‘Black Cat’ commandos were deployed for this work more than two decades ago. This work was not originally earmarked for the force at the time of its conception and establishment in 1984.
NSG is celebrating its 40th foundation day on Wednesday. The Central Government is of the view that the NSG should focus on its core charter of handling specific tasks of counter-terrorism and anti-hijacking operations and the task of protecting high-risk VIPs should not prove to be a ‘burden’ on its limited and specialist capabilities. It is happening. Sources had said that around 450 ‘Black Cat’ commandos are expected to be freed after NSG is removed from VIP security duties.