The Union Home Ministry has issued new security guidelines to the States in the wake of an “all-time high” threat to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and directed the clearances should be obtained from Special Protection Group for the persons to be allowed to be close to Modi.
The Ministry said the Prime Minister is the “most valuable target” in the run up to the 2019 general elections.
No one, not even Ministers and officers, should be allowed to come too close to the Prime Minister unless cleared by his special security, said a Home Ministry communication.
According to security and Intelligence top brass, the SPG officials have advised Modi to take utmost care during the roadshows.
Even Ministers can’t come close to PM as threat all-time high, The SPG officials are believed to have expressed concerns over the vulnerabilities in the roadshows and difficulties in creating a fullproof secured environment.
The Close Protection Team (CPT) of the Prime Minister’s security has been briefed about the new set of rules and the threat assessment and instructed them to frisk even a Minister or an officer, if necessary.
The Prime Minister’s security apparatus was reviewed threadbare recently after the Pune Police told a court on June 7 that they had seized a letter from the Delhi residence of one of the five people arrested for having links with the banned CPI (Maoist), another official said. The purported letter allegedly mentioned a plan to “assassinate” Modi in “another Rajiv Gandhi-type incident”, the police had told the court.
Besides, during a recent visit to West Bengal, a man was able to break through six layers of security to touch the Prime Minister’s feet, sending the security agencies into a tizzy. Following the two developments, Home Minister Rajnath Singh held a meeting with National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Union Home Secretary Rajiv Gauba and Intelligence Bureau Director Rajiv Jain to review the Prime Minister’s security in the wake of inputs about threats.
In that meeting, the Home Minister had directed that all necessary measures be taken in consultation with other agencies to suitably strengthen security arrangements for the Prime Minister. Maoist-hit States like Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal were termed sensitive by the Home Ministry and the police chiefs of these States were told to be extra careful when the Prime Minister visits their states, the official said.