NEW DELHI: Following the recommendation from the Security Categorisation Committee, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has enhanced the security cover for Union Transport Minister Nitin Gadkari and BJP general secretary Amit Shah.
Sources said the all-important decision was taken at Wednesday’s review meeting of the MHA’s policy planning division chaired by Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh.
The high-level meeting, among other things, took stock of the protection details of the VIPs.
“Gadkari had ‘Y category’ security cover with approximately 11 armed personnel, which has been enhanced to Z category security with trained commandos providing him round-the-clock protection .
The decision in this regard was taken after comprehensive assessment of the security threat,” they said.
Shah, who is front-runner for the BJP chief’s post, has been given Z-plus category security cover. According to sources, Central Paramilitary Force commandos will take over Shah’s personal security.
“Earlier, he was given security cover by Gujarat Police. However, the Centre took the decision to enhance his security due to high threat perception,” sources added.
Shah, a former Gujarat Minister of State for Home, was instrumental in the saffron party’s landslide victory in Uttar Pradesh in the recently held Lok Sabha elections.
This was the first review of the MHA’s policy planning division after Rajnath took charge.
Security Reviewed
Rajnath is also said to have reviewed the security details of vital installations, including airports. According to sources, the Home Minister discussed the intelligence inputs generated in the wake of the terror strike on the Karachi Airport and called for streamlining the security responsibility of airports and placing it under the MHA.
Besides, sources said the MHA had directed the security agencies to monitor the development in sensitive states as the ongoing ISIL offensive and call for establishing a global caliphate in the Middle-East nation had the potential to polarise the situation during Ramadan. The intelligence agencies had warned of several meetings attended by Shia clerics in UP last week.