The Union Home Ministry has provided ‘Z’ category security cover of central paramilitary commandos to Rajya Sabha MP Amar Singh owing to the threat perception amid allegations that Singh is behind the dispute within the Samajwadi Party. “Recent activities”, including backbiting in SP ahead of UP polls has been cited by the government as one of the reasons for growing his security.
Lately, ED gave Singh clean chit and had withdrawn the money laundering case against him. As per the officials, the order of beefing up security by Union Home Ministry was issued lately. It asked the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) to begin the task with an immediate effect.
“In view of recent activities, there is perceptible threat (to Singh),” an official said as per a report in The Indian Express, citing inputs provided by central security agencies but did not explain further.
A close aide of Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Mulayam Singh Yadav, Singh will have a reliant of least two dozen armed commandos of the CISF under the ‘Z’ cover. They will protect him each time he will go out in Uttar Pradesh. However, when he will be in Delhi, a small team of Delhi Police may take up the same task.
Singh come into limelight as he became MP in May last year after a patch-up with SP leadership. He again gets the attention as Mulayam and his son Akhilesh Yadav gets involved in a fight over the power of the Samajwadi Party.
According to officials, Amar Singh was a protectee with CISF cover from 2008 to mid-2016. Subsequently, this task was given to UP Police by the Union Home Ministry. “The cover was withdrawn in mid-2016 by the Centre and UP Police was asked to take over. It has now again been revised to the earlier ‘Z’ category under the same force — CISF,” an official added.
The cover has been given based on threat inputs by central security agencies. It said Singh faces probable threat and henceforth should be brought under “proximate” VIP security cover of central security forces.
