Madani writes to Rajnath, says withdraw Z+ security

Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind general secretary Mahmood Madani has written to Union Home Minister Rajnath Singh seeking the withdrawal of his Z+ category security claiming that neither the Delhi Police nor the Uttar Pradesh Police were “serious” about his security status. Alluding to “lapses” over the last month, Madani who heads a faction of the influential Muslim socio-religious organisation, said that the security posse is unnecessary.

In his letter, Madani has cited the refusal of the Delhi Police to give him a bulletproof car while returning from Deoband, forcing him to return to Delhi after the end of the Ramzan month without security. He has claimed that the Delhi Police told him it was the responsibility of the state police to provide a vehicle when a protected VIP comes back from a particular state. The UP police did not provide the vehicle despite being approached.

Incidentally, Madani has over the years hovered on the fringe in the usual anti-Modi tirade of Muslim organisations. On one hand, he had taken a favourable position on the status of Muslims in Gujarat and on the other, he had taken a stringent stand against Modi in the Varanasi Lok Sabha polls. After the new government took over, Madani had asked Jamiat office-bearers to tone down the anti-Modi rhetoric.

Madani wrote to Singh earlier this month that the UP Police has refused to recognise his upgraded security status. Sources said the former Rajya Sabha MP is miffed at the Delhi Police’s refusal to provide a bulletproof vehicle,  which has never happened before. The Delhi Police, however, did provide him with the security paraphernalia when he travelled to Deoband.