New Delhi: The Narendra Modi government has alerted states to the possibility of sabotage and other security risks at venues to be visited by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other top political leaders during their country-wide tours in the run-up to the Lok Sabha polls.
In a recent communique to states and their police chiefs, the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has said that they should ensure increased surveillance and adequate access control at venues where high-risk dignitaries hold public meetings.
The ministry noted that while political leaders only select venues after the campaign schedule is finalised, there are certain standard sites where rallies are held.
Securing such venues ahead of an event, according to the MHA, is crucial to foil sabotage ploys of adversarial elements, such as planting of IEDs or other explosives ahead of events.
It also warns against the possible use of workers engaged for rally preparations in such conspiracies.
A day before the prime minister is scheduled to address a rally during the campaign season, the MHA has said, thorough security checks should be carried out at the venues — manually, or with the help of sniffer dogs and detection equipment.
The Lok Sabha election season kicked off in earnest this month as the Election Commission announced on 10 March the schedule for the world’s biggest democratic exercise.
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Campaign season in full sway
The model code of conduct bars election campaigns in the 48 hours preceding a voting day, but political rallies by leaders are the order of the day on other days.
These rallies set the stage for close interactions between the public and politicians, even the high-risk ones, which leaves the latter vulnerable at times.
Former Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, then a Congress candidate traversing the nation for voter outreach, was assassinated at a campaign rally in Sriperumbudur, Tamil Nadu, on 21 May 1991.
ThePrint had reported in September last year that the security cover of BJP president Amit Shah, a Z+ protectee, was upgraded to a special protocol, all-India ASL (advanced security liaison), after a central security agency flagged his “high threat quotient”.
For ASL protectees, the Intelligence Bureau co-ordinates with the host state police and other security agencies, if any, to assess the security situation of an area and take necessary precautions ahead of the person’s stay or visit.
ASL is also a part of the Special Protection Group protocol that applies to prime ministers, current and former, and their immediate family members.
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Pitroda baffled? No wonder. The senile doesn’t know what he is talking about.