By – Aditi Gupta
For many years, attempts were made to apply the NSG in its original capacity. Following Amit Shah’s nomination as head of the Union Home Ministry, the concept began to be discussed. The ‘SPG’ cover used for safeguarding former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and the Gandhi family members was removed in 2019 alone.
There are hints of a significant shift in the VVIP security circle following the departure of the CRPF’s Parliament Duty Group (PDG), which was tasked to guard the legislature. Currently, the vast majority of personnel assigned to VIP security are from the NSG, CRPF, CISF, and ITBP. The SPG bears responsibility for the prime minister’s security. The majority of the SPG’s soldiers are people in the central paramilitary forces. Many VIPs’ security was under the oversight of the Special Protection Group (SPG) five years ago; later, the CRPF took over their protection as well. The National Security Guard (NSG) is no more in charge of providing VIP security.
Reliable sources state that attempts to implement NSG in its original work have been underway for a number of years. Examining this concept started when Amit Shah became the Union Home Ministry’s director general. The ‘SPG’ cover used to protect former Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and the Gandhi family members has been eliminated in 2019 alone. At the same time, it was also thought that the NSG’s Black Cat Commandos ought to be released from VVIP protection. The central paramilitary forces should be entrusted with the security of the VVIPs, which was left in the hands of the NSG. In this case, reports were obtained from a number of senior officials. However, the December 13 happening included no evidence of a PDG lapse. The investigation’s report also made this discovery. In spite of this, the PDG ultimately chose to be eliminated. With heavy hearts, the PDG team left the Parliament grounds.
Following this, it was believed that a significant sum of money had been spent on the Parliament Duty Group’s equipment and training. This force was unique. What kind of power ought to be granted to this force at this point? PDG should be used for VIP security, it was agreed. VIP security is currently handled by a dedicated wing of the CRPF. This idea further developed the NSG issue, which was sitting in files for quite some time. In this context, an important conference was held a few months ago. It was joined by the NSG DG, CRPF DG, and IB Chief. This week, a meeting is also suggested in North Block, according to sources. Former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Ministers Farooq Abdullah and Ghulam Nabi Azad, BSP leader Mayawati, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Union Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, former Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister Chandra Babu Naidu, and former Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh are among them. Former Deputy Prime Minister Lal Krishna Advani is also among them.