Taking a strong note of the illegal deployment of body guards, home guards or cooks with retired officers as well as other unauthorised persons, Chief Secretary Rajiv Gauba, along with Home Secretary NN Pandey, DGP DK Pandey and other senior police and administration officials on Friday, held a comprehensive review meeting on the issue.
Issues related to the current status of police deployment with VIPs, serving and retired officers were also reviewed in detail during the meeting. It was also observed that as per the direction of Chief Secretary in this regard, a total number of 187 PSOs and 116 personnel, earlier deployed as house guards, have been withdrawn who have physically returned either to the Police HQ or to the District Police.
In addition to that, another 97 PSOs and 21 home guards are in the process of complying with the orders of withdrawal. Gauba also made it clear in the meeting that those police personnel, who did not comply with the orders of withdrawal may be suspended forthwith followed by departmental proceedings against them.
It was also revealed during the discussions that there were many cases where a single individual was enjoying security provided by more than one district or from his home district and head quarters as well.
The Chief Secretary directed the Special Branch to continuously monitor the process of such deployment so that any duplicity does not take place in future.
A proposal was also mooted to establish a separate security pool under ADG Special Branch in which service and other relevant records would be maintained of all such personnel who have been deployed in VIP security.
Such dedicated security pool of PSOs and bodyguards would facilitate better administrative control ruling out any duplication or irregularity in their deployment. Gauba asked them to prepare a suitable proposal in this regard at the earliest.
The Chief Secretary also made it clear that the Personal Security Officers or Security Guards may be made available only on the basis of proper review of their threat perception by the Special Branch.
On the issue of the deployment of home guards, Gauba pointed out that such deployment may be made only as per the admissibility criteria fixed by the government in this regard. The Chief Secretary also asked the Home Department and the Police HQ to ensure that the home guards are deployed only in the absence of regular police force and in the event of their subsequent availability, they may be withdrawn.
The DG, Home Guards was directed to examine the present deployment of home guards across the State and take proper action in all such cases where such deployment has been made beyond the existing admissible criteria.