Congmen question security withdrawal

Several senior Congress leaders, including Rajasthan PCC chief Girija Vyas, have already raised the issue of security withdrawal as one of the major reasons for Pilot8217;s tragic death yesterday. Questioning the wisdom of the entire exercise of security reappraisal, they have asserted that Pilot would have probably been saved had the Government continued to provide him the earlier Z-plus security cover.

That category entails NSG commandos, a bullet-proof car and an escort car, which goes in front. Pilot had been provided with this security cover since his days as the minister of state for internal security, when he dealt with terrorism-affected states such as Jammu and Kashmir and Assam. In February, following 8220;a reappraisal of the threat perception8221; by the Home Ministry, this security was withdrawn and he was provided Y-category cover.

Unlike many other leaders who protested with Home Minister L K Advani when their security cover was withdrawn or scaled down, Pilot did not make much of an issue of it. Y-category security meant that the senior Congress leader now travelled only with a Personal Security Officer PSO provided by the Delhi Police when he moved both within the Capital as well as outside. It was up to the state government concerned to provide him with a local police escort, but this was not mandatory.

A senior Congress leader said it was 8220;strange8221; how the Home Ministry could arrive at a conclusion that Pilot suddenly needed only the most basic protection. 8220;The Government should come out with the parameters of their threat-perception appraisal,8221; he said, asserting that some leaders with apparently little threat still continued to enjoy the highest available security cover because of political considerations.

The withdrawal of security cover had, however, not affected Pilot8217;s movements within and outside Delhi. Not only did he continue to visit his constituency regularly, he visited the Kashmir valley just last week to assess the ground situation and meet a National Conference leader who was injured in a terrorist attack.

In February this year, the Home Ministry had conducted a reappraisal of the security risk to various top leaders. Apart from Pilot, among those downgraded from Z-plus to Y were former Union home ministers S B Chavan, Indrajit Gupta and Buta Singh. The Home Ministry, however, continues to provide Z-plus cover to former Uttar Pradesh chief ministers Mulayam Singh, Mayawati and Kalyan Singh. VHP leaders Vishnu Hari Dalmiya and Ashok Singhal also have Z-plus cover, though with ITPB commandos instead of the NSG, as do H K L Bhagat, Jagdish Tytler and Sajjan Kumar.