Sachin, Big B, SRK on terror hit list

Prominent personalities could be terror targets, cops quote intelligence reports. Do icons deserve highest category of security?

Security for cricket icon Sachin Tendulkar, superstar Amitabh Bachchan and other prominent personalities has been stepped up following intelligence reports that they could be targets of terrorists, police said on Saturday.

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Tendulkar, who was enjoying an 'X' category security cover, has now been provided one-step up 'Y' category security, they said.

It means armed bodyguards will accompany Tendulkar wherever he goes, while his residence in Mumbai and other places where he visits in the country will be guarded by local police, they added.

Apart from Tendulkar, security of 'icons' staying in Mumbai, like superstars Bachchan, Shahrukh Khan, industrialist Mukesh Ambani, has also been stepped up, police said, but refused to divulge the nature of security provided to them.

Additional Commissioner of Police (Protection and Security), Mumbai, Surendra Kumar, said that security to Tendulkar and other personalities has been stepped up upon specific intelligence input.

"He (Tendulkar) is one of the iconic personalities and therefore his security arrangements have been further beefed up," Kumar said, adding at present the star was in Bangalore and the security arrangements were being taken care of by the local police there.

"These people already had a security cover and what we have done is stepping it up further," he added.