Traffic clearance vehicle, Y+ escort security upgrade for Mrs Amruta Fadnavis

While police sources said the Protection and Security Department of the Mumbai Police has forwarded necessary instructions to traffic authorities, Amruta Fadnavis is yet to use the newly-allotted traffic clearance vehicle.

Asked about the upgrade, Devendra Fadnavis told The Indian Express, “Mrs Fadnavis has not applied for any security upgrade. Based on threat perception, the high-power committee has given the security. The traffic clearance vehicle has also not been applied for. Amruta has specifically told the police that she doesn’t require a traffic clearance vehicle.”

“I am told that such traffic clearance vehicles were provided to the entire Thackeray family and many more private individuals in the past. It is not about the post but about the threat perception; so there are people who are not even MLAs and are given Z or Z+,” he said.

Police officers said a traffic clearance vehicle is generally given only to those holding constitutional positions. On Fadnavis’s claim about the Thackeray family, Aditya Thackeray declined to comment, but a senior Sena leader close to the family said, “Rashmi Thackeray (wife of Uddhav Thackeray) and Tejas Thackeray had two escorts, but no traffic police. Normally, if there are escorts, the escort vehicle calls the control to check traffic situations and pull the traffic faster. But no stoppage can be given to anyone except the CM, or if it’s a state visit or for an SPG protectee.”

According to the sources in the Home Department, under the previous Maha Vikas Aghadi (MVA) government, Amruta Fadnavis was provided X category (with escort) security cover. Devendra Fadnavis was the leader of the Opposition then. Within months of the formation of the Eknath Shinde and Devendra Fadnavis government in June, a decision was taken to downgrade the security cover of several MVA leaders.

“On October 2, the SID (State Intelligence Department) Commissioner’s office issued a note that Amruta Fadnavis’s security cover has been upgraded and asked all unit heads across Maharashtra to provide a traffic clearance vehicle during her stay in their respective jurisdiction,” said an official, who did not wish to be named.

Explaining the security upgrade process, the official said the SID Commissioner chairs a meeting of the ‘higher committee’. This committee makes recommendations on enhancement or scaling down of security cover for individuals – based on the threat perception and intelligence provided by unit heads from across the state who attend the meeting. This is handed over to a ‘review committee’ chaired by the state Chief Secretary, following which a final decision is taken on the recommendations made by the ‘higher committee’.

Chief Secretary Manu Kumar Srivastava and SID Commissioner Ashutosh Dumbre did not respond to queries seeking comment.

Police sources said the ‘traffic clearance vehicle’ does not have an armed component and is not meant to provide security. It comes with two police personnel including a driver. The vehicle travels at a distance from the VIP’s vehicle, keeps contact with the traffic control room, and passes information on the movement of the VIP to the field officers, who are expected to clear traffic for the VIP,” said a police officer.