BJP Chief Amit Shah gets round-the-clock security cover by the Central Reserve Police Force.
BJP president Amit Shah's security cover has just been pushed up a notch, with the addition of an Advance Security Liasoning (ASL) component given only to an elite club of people.
Mr Shah, a Z-plus protectee, will now benefit from all-India ASL cover too. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) added this component after the Intelligence Bureau reviewed his security.
"An advance team will scout places Mr Shah is going to visit, and states would be advised to take adequate precautions after each assessment carried out by the ASL team," a senior official said, adding that the ministry has already asked all the states to formalise the procedure.
The ASL team goes to areas that political dignitaries are scheduled to visit almost two weeks in advance.
Mr Shah's security arrangements were discussed at a recent review meeting where Intelligence Bureau officials slotted him in the "high threat quotient" category.
Amit Shah gets round-the-clock security cover by the Central Reserve Police Force. Besides the 30 commandos who protect him at any given point of time, he is provided with additional cover by the local police while visiting various states.
Other prominent ASL protectees are President Ram Nath Kovind, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Union home minister Rajnath Singh.
High-profile individuals adjudged as constantly under threat are brought under various kinds of security cover -- SPG, Z+, Z, Y and X categories -- provided by security personnel ranging from National Security Guard commandos to the local police. The MHA and Intelligence approve the category to be provided after taking the threat level to the person into consideration.
Those accorded with security cover include the President, Vice-President, Prime Minister, Supreme Court and High Court judges, State Governors, Chief Ministers and Cabinet Ministers.