KOLKATA: The Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) beefed up security cover for BJP’s West Bengal observer Kailash Vijayvargiya by providing a bullet-proof vehicle and a portable folded ballistic shield.
The bulletproof SUV arrived Kolkata on Monday morning from Uttar Pradesh. An additional number of CISF personnel were also engaged for Vijayvargiya’s security.
The MHA move came in the backdrop of the attack on the party’s national president JP Nadda’s motorcade on December 10.
Vijayvargiya’s security ring was tightened from Monday before he left to address a rally at Pathar Pratima in Diamond Harbour, the Lok Sabha constituency of Abhishek Banerjee in South 24 Parganas district where Nadda’s convoy was attacked.
During the December 10 incident, the windshields and window panes of Vijayvargiya were smashed and the central leader suffered injuries on his left forearm. On the day of the attack, Prime Minister Narendra Modi called the BJP leader and inquired about his health condition.
Sources in the Bengal BJP said the party requested the Centre to provide adequate security arrangement for Vijayvargiya alleging that the West Bengal government was not paying heed to give him protection.
"Security lapses on the part of the state government led to the attack on Naddaji’s motorcade. The state government did not respond to a letter sent by state president Dilip Ghosh before Naddaji started for Diamond Harbour. We mentioned in the letter to the Centre that the state government’s ignorance was politically motivated since the BJP has emerged as the ruling TMC's principal opposition in Bengal," said a BJP leader.
Sources in the MHA said the Bengal BJP’s request was forwarded to the security review committee which decided to provide Vijayvargiya a bulletproof vehicle and a portable folded ballistic shield other than increasing strength of CISF personnel for his security.
Vijayvargiya on Monday travelled in the new vehicle to Pathar Pratima and addressed the rally announcing that the saffron camp is all set to overthrow TMC-led government.
The tussle between the Centre and Mamata Banerjee’s government intensified over the issue of the attack on Nadda’s convoy after governor Jagdeep Dhankhar submitted his report to the central government. Following this, the MHA summoned the chief secretary and DGP to in Delhi on December 14.
Responding to the Centre’s summons, the CM asked the chief secretary, who replied to the MHA, to ignore the summons.
In its latest move, the Union Home ministry wrote to three senior IPS officers of Bengal cadre asking them to serve in the central deputation.
Responding to the summons to the IPS officers, the state government wrote the Centre saying the Bengal government would not release the three officers as a state government’s nod is required for deploying its officers in the central deputation.