New Delhi: As the general elections are reaching their final gears, many uncertainties swirl around the parliament complex, including which force will provide security and facilitate the entry and exit of parliamentarians and officials starting the swearing-in of the new central government.
As the government conducted a proper security review of the parliament complex in the aftermath of a security breach last December — when two men with smoke canisters jumped onto the Lok Sabha benches from the visitors’ gallery — the ministry of home affairs has all but decided to make the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) the principal force doing both duties of providing security as well as facilitating parliamentarians into the complex, and their movement within.
While the government’s decisions to withdraw the personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and Delhi Police have not been met with internal reluctance so far, a prospective move to replace the entire batch of Parliamentary Security Services (PSS) with the CISF has not gone down well with the services and parliament observers, alike.
A PSS official, speaking on condition of anonymity, told ThePrint that with the CISF taking over every responsibility in the parliament complex, the power centre will be in the hands of the ministry of home affairs, which governs the CISF and other paramilitary forces.
“The MHA now wants to control the LS secretariat and that is why they are in a hurry to put the new system in place before 4 June,” the official said. “The access control of the parliaments should be with the Lok Sabha secretariat and not with a force reporting to MHA,” the official said.
A CISF official also agreed that it is “highly expected” that the CISF will take over the entire parliamentary complex and cover all the aspects related to the security and facilitation of parliamentarians.
“A decision on this will be taken either before the commencement of the next parliament session or right after the commencement of the new session. There are some hard calls to be made but we have an understanding that we will be taking over all aspects of the complex,” a CISF official told ThePrint on condition of anonymity since a final order of handing over responsibility from PSS to the CISF is yet to come out from the government.
As per the interdepartmental communication reviewed by ThePrint, the Lok Sabha secretariat had on 26 April written to the Delhi Police seeking the withdrawal of 150 police personnel from the complex who were performing duties such as searching, frisking, scanning baggage and vehicles entering the parliamentary complex because of the deployment of “trained CISF personnel” based on orders of “competent authority.”
As per another interdepartmental communication, the CISF took control of all critical areas of the parliamentary complex by Monday morning, such as the CCTV control room, vehicle access control, and management rights of the pass sections at the reception counters of both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha.
Although the government has not passed the order to completely replace PSS with CISF, there is an “understanding” in both wings that the order is a mere formality, considering there is little time left for the commencement of the new Lok Sabha session.
Also read: Some political parties defend members who violate House decorum and face action, says PM Modi
What is the PSS
The Parliamentary Security Services was established In September 1929 by Vithalbhai Patel, then president of the Central Legislative Assembly. This was in response to freedom fighters Bhagat Singh and Batukeshwar Dutt throwing bombs at the Central Legislative Assembly in April that year.
Known as the ‘Watch and Ward Committee’ until 2009, the PSS has been parliament’s own system for providing maintenance of access control for vehicles, men and materials and maintenance of order within the precincts of the Parliament complex, coordination with other agencies such as CRPF and Delhi Police for protection of VVIPs/VIPs and Members of Parliament inside the complex, guarding of Rajya Sabha Chamber, Galleries, Central Hall and other areas of Parliament, ensuring thorough anti-sabotage and anti-explosive checks of all vital areas of Parliament House and adjoining structures, fire and sanitation services and supervising the functioning of Centralised Pass Issue Cell (CPIC).
It is headed by a Joint Secretary-level officer of the Lok Sabha Secretariat while Director-level officers at both the Rajya Sabha and Lok Sabha Secretariat are responsible for duties in their respective areas.
Security vs protocol dilemma
There are many uncertainties being highlighted by both observers and executors regarding the division of responsibilities between the PSS and CISF since their inception, despite the training each has received to reach their current level of performance.
PSS officials believe that they have spent years getting accustomed to the traditions of the parliament and protocols that VIPs such as the parliamentarians and top officials of the government attract.
There is consensus among the CISF, PSS, and observers that PSS personnel are more protocol-abiding, while the CISF is more of a security establishment where protocols might not be a priority.
P.D.T. Achary, the former Secretary General of the 14th and 15th Lok Sabha emphasised that PSS’s role was such that their personnel were deployed at every entry point of the parliament complex, and there was a smooth flow of operations because of their familiarity with MPs and officials who enter parliament as part of their daily routine.
“Earlier, PSS personnel used to approach the vehicles entering the parliament complex and the CRPF personnel who were deployed for proximal security used to step in only when required and asked for by the PSS personnel. If CISF goes on to replace PSS entirely, we could see a situation where parliamentarians would be asked for entry passes or to go through an identification process which might not go down too well with MPs,” Achary told ThePrint.
“There is a basic difference between managing security at airports and vital industrial sites and parliamentary complex. At airports, all are equal before the strict security guidelines but at the parliamentary level, an MP who is trying to enter the complex can’t be treated at par with a visitor on a visiting pass,” Achary further emphasised.
A CISF officer said that the government might have taken a call, or is likely to take a call, on replacing the PSS entirely with CISF because they are not viewed as security-driven people.
“However, in areas such as galleries and other areas where the protocol is as important as security, PSS are the best people for the job because of their experience,” the CISF officer told ThePrint requesting anonymity.
Another CISF officer conceded to the different aspects that the PSS brings to the table, and said that in an ideal situation, CISF would like to take complete control of the parliamentary complex and replace the PSS only after its personnel attain full training and simulation exercises to ensure no gaps.
“We just want to learn the job and then take over. We have been trained for the past two months but it was mostly around the security aspect. There are areas where there are 100 percent protocol jobs and no security element. So, there lies the gap between the strengths of CISF and PSS and while the government is also clear on the role CISF can perform, it has to take the final call on the division of responsibility in the complex,” the second CISF officer told ThePrint.
The PSS officials share similar concerns.
Speaking to ThePrint, a PSS official who wished to not be named said that 3,300 CISF personnel will be inside the Parliament’s premises, which is unthinkable as an armed force should not be inside the Parliament.
Officials said that the CISF has no experience at all in what the PSS has been doing for years. They added that from the ministers to their staff, including their OSDs, the PSS recognises everyone, facilitates their movement inside, does access control, and also coordinates the movement of the speaker inside the Parliament.
Moreover, it is the PSS that is apprised of the tunnels, contingency exits, safehouses, and the internal routes of the parliament, in case of an emergency, manoeuvring through which requires much training.
“It is only after five years of working in the periphery that any PSS employee gets acquainted with full responsibilities. These guys now want to bring in CISF with only minimal training. It will be a disaster,” a PSS official said.
The officials added that they have been loyal to the Parliament for years and that the CISF can’t do that since their postings are not permanent.
“All agencies, whether it is the IB, NSG, NDRF, fire service or state intelligence coordinate with us. The CISF is completely inexperienced in the work that we do. We have been loyal to the parliament for years, which the CISF cannot do. The CISF is a force that follows the commands of their seniors, but we operate differently. Even if my senior asks me to do something, like clearing a passage for a person in the parliament, I can question him or her if I feel that the protocol is not being followed. Such is not the case with a force,” the official said. “A force like CISF will follow instructions without asking questions.”
Speaking about Parliament Duty Group (PDG), a unit of the CRPF, being replaced by CISF, a second official said that the CISF is not as trained as the CRPF, a force that has been deployed in conflict areas like the Left-wing extremism (LWE) areas and Kashmir.
“As part of the revamp plan, the Parliament Duty Group (PDG) of the CRPF has also been replaced entirely by the CISF. The CRPF has experience in serving in conflict areas which the CISF does not. In case of an attack, how is the CISF expected to handle the situation?” the official asked.
A third PSS official said that it seems like the government just wants to control the parliament and end its autonomy, by bringing it under the MHA.
“They should have created a committee before bringing in these changes and should have consulted the speaker. But this decision was taken unilaterally. This is nothing but finishing the autonomy of the Lok Sabha Secretariat. The PM has said that there will be one security for all but in reality, they want this to happen so that they can have full control over the Parliament,” the official said.
(Edited by Zinnia Ray Chaudhuri)
Also read: CISF trains for Parliament security, likely to guard complex during Budget session