Under Z category security, Smriti Irani will get round-the clock protection from 8 to 10 securitymen.
Highlights
- Intelligence inputs said Ms Irani's life is under threat
- Upgraded category will include 24-hour security at home and out
- Delhi and Hyderabad have lately witnessed heightened student protests
Union minister Smriti Irani will be given Z category security, the second highest category provided in the country. The upgrade from Y to Z was meant for round-the-clock security in view of the recent agitations by students.
The decision of the home ministry was taken following intelligence inputs that the minister was facing a threat to her life because of the "agitational politics" by student organisations, which were targeting her personally.
Protests at Delhi's prestigious Jawaharlal Nehru University had started in the aftermath of the arrest of its Students' Union leader Kanhaiya Kumar under sedition charges, and in Hyderabad following the suicide of Dalit scholar Rohith Vemula. The two issues had stirred up campuses across the country.
Under the new regimen, security will be strengthened near the minister's house in Tughlak Crescent in New Delhi and Andheri in Mumbai and there will be at least 8 to 12 security personnel in every shift. When she is travelling, there would be a pilot and an escort vehicle with armed guards providing security cover.
The upgrade proposal by the Security Review Committee, which does threat assessments for politicians and public figures, is waiting for a nod from home minister Rajnath Singh.
So far, around 50 people have Z-plus or the highest category of security -- the list includes Home Minister Rajnath Singh, Defence Minister Manohar Parrikar, Minister of State for Home Kiren Rijiju, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalitha, UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yaday and BSP chief Mayawati. Forty-six others get Z category security.
Overall, there are 275 people in the Central protectee list, Union Minister Kiren Rijiju has said.