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After Siddique killing, CRPF to approach Pawar over Z+ cover
Pawar, who is a Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) and Nationalist Congress Party-SP (NCP-SP) chief, is yet to accept the CRPF’s Z plus security cover, nearly two months after the Centre approved this.
Ahead of the assembly elections in Maharashtra and in light of the recent killing of Nationalist Congress Party leader, Baba Siddique, the Central Reserve Police Force will again approach Sharad Pawar and request him to take the force’s Z plus security cover, officials aware of the matter said.
Pawar, who is a Rajya Sabha Member of Parliament (MP) and Nationalist Congress Party-SP (NCP-SP) chief, is yet to accept the CRPF’s Z plus security cover, nearly two months after the Centre approved this. The NCP-SP chief continues to be guarded by Maharashtra police. He is the second senior politician after Punjab CM Bhagwant Singh Mann to refuse CRPF’s security cover in the last one and a half years.
An official aware of the matter said,” After orders were issued, there were meetings held with the leaders to brief them before taking charge. In both cases, the two leaders initially refused the cover and said they would inform the CRPF later if they need it .”
The official added that given the recent killing of Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Baba Siddique in Mumbai on October 12, CRPF officials will again speak to Pawar’s office . Such consent is required before paramilitary forces take charge of the security of leaders.
Voting for the 288 seats in Maharashtra assembly is on November 20.
The Centre on August 21 issued the order for Pawar’s security cover. While Pawar is currently protected by the Maharashtra police, Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann has Z plus security provided by Punjab police. The Centre ordered CRPF cover for Mann on May 20, 2023.
Z plus is the highest category of security, where there are at least four dozen armed personnel guarding the person. It also involves escort vehicles and an ambulance in the convoy.
Even as the two have refused CRPF’s cover, senior Congress leader and Party President Mallikarjun Kharge has accepted the Z plus security ordered by the Union home ministry in February this year. The most recent political leader to get security cover is union minister of Food Processing Industries, Chirag Paswan who was given Z category cover on October 10.
CRPF and other paramilitary forces such as CISF, ITBP, SSB, and NSG provide security to people from different parties. Senior officials in the above-mentioned paramilitary forces said that they are yet to be given orders for protection of actor Salman Khan after Siddique’s murder. Owing to the threats by the Lawrence Bishnoi criminal gang, the Mumbai police has increased Khan’s security by providing him with Y plus cover.
The Union home ministry routinely conducts a threat perception on people with threats to their life.
