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Baba Siddique murder: What are X, Y and Z VIP security levels? Know who gets what
NCP leader Baba Siddique was shot dead in Bandra, outside his son's office building on Saturday evening.
Just 15 days before he was murdered , NCP leader Baba Siddique's security was increased to Y category after he had received threats to his life.
On October 12, Siddique was shot dead outside his son Zeeshan's office building in Bandra. Shortly after the attack, the veteran politician succumbed to his injuries in Mumbai's Lilavati Hospital.
Baba Siddique's death sparked a political row in Maharashtra, with the opposition parties blaming the Eknath Shinde-led state government for failing to protect a political leader with Y security cover.
Bollywood actor Salman Khan's security has also been beefed up following Siddique's murder. Khan currently receives Y plus security cover from the state government, along with his own personal security team protecting him.
Different security cover levels in India
The different levels of security cover in India, in ascending order, are - X, Y, Y-plus, Z, Z-plus and the Special Protection Group (SPG), as per the Bureau of Police Research and Development of Union Home Ministry. The SPG, being the highest level of security in India, is only provided to Prime Ministers and their immediate family members.
The next highest levels of security are Z and Z plus cover, which is given to prominent politicians, business leaders, or VIPs in India who face certain threats to life.
Read more: Baba Siddique murder: Bone test refutes accused's 'minor' claim; security increased outside Salman's house | 10 points
Z-plus security includes a round-the-clock cover with 55 personnel, including the CRPF and the National Security Guard, if required. It also includes a bullet-proof vehicle. Meanwhile, Z security cover includes 22 personnel.
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath and Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman have been allotted Z-plus security. Union Minister Chirag Paswan, Baba Ramdev and Aamir Khan have been allotted Z security.
Y-plus security cover has 11 personnel, including two Personal Security Officers (PSOs) and other armed policemen. The exact composition of the commandos depends on the threat level. BJP MP Kangana Ranaut currently has Y-plus security.
Y level security cover includes a detail of 8 personnel, out of which two are commandos and rest are police personnel. The X category security has 2 personnel, with no commandos and one armed police officer. Vivek Agnihotri, the director of The Kashmir Files, has been allotted Y level security.
