The West Bengal government has further scaled down security arrangements for several political leaders, former officials and other prominent individuals, withdrawing house guards and reducing police deployment after a review of threat perceptions, official sources said on Sunday.
The latest round of rationalisation comes days after the state government curtailed security arrangements for several high-profile figures, including Trinamool Congress national general secretary Abhishek Banerjee, following the change of guard in the state.
According to an official directive issued recently, the security arrangements for a number of VIPs were reassessed and revised based on fresh threat perception analysis.
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Those whose security cover has been reduced include Trinamool Congress MP Kalyan Banerjee, former minister Arup Biswas, party state president Subrata Bakshi, Beliaghata MLA Kunal Ghosh, former Kolkata mayor and TMC leader Sovan Chatterjee, Rajya Sabha MP and former state police chief Rajeev Kumar, retired DGP Manoj Malaviya, former acting DGP Piyush Pandey, sources said.
As part of the revised arrangements, police house guards posted outside their residences have been withdrawn, they said.
Sources in the administration said the review found that some of those in the list no longer required enhanced security and would continue to receive only the protection corresponding to their present constitutional or official status.
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Kalyan Banerjee and Rajeev Kumar, both Members of Parliament, will continue to receive security cover entitled to MPs, officials said.
Arup Biswas, who previously enjoyed security cover as a state minister, will no longer receive that level of protection as he currently holds neither ministerial nor legislative office.
Kunal Ghosh, who had earlier been granted enhanced security following court directions after he expressed apprehension of attacks following his release on bail in the Saradha case, will now receive only the security cover admissible to him as an MLA, officials said.
Similarly, additional security provided to an advocate who fought several legal cases for the TMC and the state government during the previous dispensation has also been withdrawn after authorities reportedly found no justification for continued enhanced protection.
Officials said Piyush Pandey, who had received security commensurate with his earlier role as acting DGP, would now retain only the security cover applicable to his current status.
The latest move follows a directive that no individual should receive security beyond actual requirements.
Soon after assuming office, the BJP government initiated a review of VIP security arrangements and first curtailed the cover provided to Abhishek Banerjee.
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Apart from withdrawing his ‘Z-plus’ category security, the state government also discontinued special pilot car facilities. Earlier, police deployment outside his residences at Kalighat and office premises on Camac Street had also been withdrawn.
However, the administration has maintained that there would be no compromise on the security of former chief minister Mamata Banerjee.
Sources said Kolkata Police had been instructed to ensure adequate arrangements for her residence, movement and public engagements, and any lapse in her security cover would not be tolerated.
