NEW DELHI: Keeping in view the recent attacks on Enforcement Directorate (ED) officials and also based on a recent threat assessment report issued by the Intelligence Bureau (IB), the Union Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has decided to permanently deploy personnel of the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) at the ED's offices across the country to provide security cover, officials said on Monday.
The officials said that initial deployment of personnel of the paramilitary force would focus on select cities, including Mumbai, Jalandhar, Kolkata, Jaipur, Ranchi, Raipur and Kochi.
A senior MHA official said, “High-level deliberations are going on in the Ministry to extend the CISF cover to ED offices in other states, reflecting a comprehensive approach to enhance security measures in and around the agency’s premises.”
The agency maintains a robust pan-India presence, operating from 21 zonal and 18 sub-zonal offices spanning 40 cities across five regions - west, east, central, south and north. The headquarters located on Dr APJ Abdul Kalam Road in Delhi already has CISF protection.
Officials said the urgency to step up security arrangements at ED offices was felt following the incident on January 5 this year when a mob attacked a team of ED officers from the Kolkata unit in West Bengal’s Sandeshkhali. Three officers were injured in the attack.
This incident served as a stark reminder of the risks faced by officials of the enforcement agency in carrying out their duties.
Earlier, on December 1 and 2 last year, Tamil Nadu’s Directorate of Vigilance and Anti-Corruption (DVAC) arrested an ED officer Ankit Tiwari for extortion and then raided the agency’s sub-zonal office in Madurai. The agency filed a complaint with the state police chief alleging that sensitive documents from its office were stolen.
Later, the Intelligence Bureau submitted a threat assessment report to the MHA about the security needs for the agency’s personnel and its establishments across the country, the officials said, adding that following this the ministry sent a note to the CISF to draw up a plan for regular deployment.
The CISF is the only paramilitary force deployed at central government establishments on a “cost-reimbursement basis”.
During the past 10 years of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government, the ED has registered an average of 500 cases every year under various provisions of the the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA). The cases involved political personalities and also high net worth private individuals.
The ED on its part, however, argues that of the total over 5,100 PMLA cases registered in the last 10 years, only about 2-3% are linked to politicians. The agency has attached properties worth Rs 1.21 lakh crore and arrested 755 people in the last 10 years, compared to Rs 5,086 crore worth attachments and 29 arrests during the 10 years of the UPA’s rule.