CRPF VIP security cover for 6, including Manipur VC
Source: The Sangai Express / TNN

New Delhi, August 03 2017: The ministry of home affairs has asked Central Reserve Police Force to provide VIP security cover to BJP MLA from Meerapur constituency in Uttar Pradesh – Avtar Singh Bhadana, Vice Chancellor of Manipur University and an RSS office bearer from Kerala .

Official sources said that former Congress MP from Faridabad – Bhadana, has threat from unknown groups and will have Y category security cover of CRPF whenever he is in Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan .

Under the Y category, around 11 CRPF armed men will be guarding him round the clock out of which two will always remain in his close proximity.

The Intelligence Bureau has assessed that there is a threat to Bhadana's life from unknown group.

When he was the Lok Sabha MP from Congress, he was accorded higher Z category security cover by then UPA government.

Other person to be accorded Y Category VIP cover is Aadya Prasad Pandey, the Vice Chancellor of Manipur University, which faced massive agitation last year .

Pandey, sources say, has been given the Y category CRPF security cover as there is threat to his life from north east based insurgent groups .

He was a professor at Banaras Hindu University before his appointment as VC of Manipur University last year.

The MHA has also provided lower 'X' category CRPF security cover, which includes two guards, to Sasidharan V, Vibhag Karyavahak of Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) in Kannur, Kerala .

Several RSS activists have faced attacks from CPM members in last few months and IB assessment for Sasidharan suggested that may be attacked .

Subsequently, CRPF has taken over the security of family of Irom Roger, who was shot dead by Manipur Chief Minister N Biren Singhs son Ajay Meitei in 2001.Those provided ''Y'' category security cover include Irom Chitra Devi, her husband Irom Lokendra Singh and social activist Binalaxmi Nepram, who had taken up their cause .

The Supreme Court had last month directed the CRPF to provide the security to the family and the social activist .

The VIP security cover by central paramilitary forces including CRPF, CISF and NSG has them overstretched as they are already involved in several duties related to anti-terrorism operations, anti-naxal operations, law and order duty, security of vital installations, airports, metro and others .

Presently, close to 450 persons are provided VIP security cover by various forces, leading to an expenditure of around Rs 380 crore on the job .

CRPF alone protects over 65 persons all over India.

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