SOUMITRA BOSE/MUKESH KUMAR SINHA
After SPG GOES AWRY, BESERK, Sanity in it prevails now. HeadLess for some hours, SPG was in a Deep Quandary, Predicament. …New SPG Boss/Director’s here now, thanks to emergency/united/c-onjoined/interwined joint efforts by the PM-concerned Officers of the PMO, Cabinet Secretariat (owners of SPG), Union Ministry of Personnel (in charge of zeroing in on appropriate candidate as SPG Director), ACC or Appointments Committee of Cabinet putting its stamp of final approval on the final selection, Union Home Ministry (in various aspects like the Intelligence Bureau clearance etc), rigorous consultation/s with the RAW etc for various clearances etc.
All done, now : Gujarat cadre IPS officer Vivek Srivastav is the present chief of the Modi-guarding SPG. Srivastav, 1989 batch IPS officer of Gujarat cadre, is right now on deputation to Delhi with Central Intelligence Bureau will formally take over as the SPG chief soon (may be, now itself!). “Srivastav has been chosen because of his credentials. He is a highly competent officer and the PM is quite impressed with his impeccable service record,” a top Cabinet Secretariat official told JUST IN PRINT about 12 hours before he was finally selected on Saturday (November 29, 2014) evening.
{Earlier, sitting SPG chief Durga Prasad was shunted out following the The Great Goof UP (See Cover) in Nepal that put Modi all out in the open.} [In the VACANT period, Appointments Committee of Cabinet directed Cabinet Secretariat/PMO/et al that the charge of SPG director may be looked after by the next senior-most officer till the appointment of a suitable successor. It was complied with.]
Srivastav’s appointment as SPG chief is interesting because he was not really in the good books of the BJP government in the past. In fact, for more than a decade when Modi was the CM of Gujarat, Srivastav opted for a central deputation to keep out of the state. During the 2002 riots, Vivek, who was the District Superintendent of Police in Kutch ensured that his district stayed free of disturbances and did not allow the VHP or Muslim groups to organise any protests. He clamped down heavily on Bajrang Dal and VHP who were active then and reportedly involved in instigating communal tension. He was soon transferred to a sidelined posting in the Prohibition department.
Thereafter, he sought a deputation to Delhi. Even his Delhi deputation file was not cleared promptly by the Gujarat government. However, according to sources in Delhi, Vivek’s commitment towards his work impressed Modi, especially in October 2013. When Modi visited Bihar to address the Hunkar Rally last October, a series of blasts rocked Patna, killing six and injuring 83. Modi, who was the Gujarat CM then, continued with his programme and despite official requests by the Central IB and Nitish Kumar government, chose address the rally. This gave him good political mileage.
The then Chief Minister, since ignominiously sacked, Nitish Kumar, who had been under fire, had claimed that his government had no inputs about the blast. However, it was then revealed that joint director of IB stationed in Bihar had written a detailed letter to Bihar police five days before the blasts, stating Modi could be targeted by rabid groups. The letter had clearly stated that they had inputs about the bomb blasts ahead of Modi’s rally. This letter to the Bihar police was written by Vivek Srivastav who was then posted in Patna as joint director, IB. He had personally gone to the airport as part of his duty to brief Modi about the blasts. Modi stayed on at the airport for 20 minutes and later went to address the rallies. Srivastav’s letter came in handy for the BJP to take on Bihar CM Nitish Kumar.
That SPG was in a predicament due to ‘slumber’ (according to SPG definition) in the PMO was amply evident in the mix up of leadership in the Elitist Force due to obviously deliberate confusion. Or else how does on explain this macabre goof up?
Last Fortnight when the country was paying tributes to the victims of the 26/11 terror attacks, the security personnel in Parliament Complex went into a tizzy on Wednesday afternoon after the EliteMost Special Protection Group protectors of former prime minister Manmohan Singh went inside the Rajya Sabha with sophisticated automatic weapon.
Shockingly, those manning the Rajya Sabha did not stop him.
Sources told JUST IN PRINT that the breach occurred at 2 pm on Wednesday when ex-PM Manmohan Singh was heading towards the Rajya Sabha and the security man of a “close protection team” of the Special Protection Group (SPG) was walking alongside.
The source said: “The security man was carrying a weapon – MP5 – but he was not stopped by those on guard. Moreover, he accompanied Manmohan Singh to his designated seat inside the Rajya Sabha.”
A Marshal coming from inside the Rajya Sabha noticed the security violation and he asked him to immediately leave the premises. The Marshal also called other security personnel besides informing seniors of the presence of a security person with a sophisticated weapon.
“This led to panic and the security man was taken outside the Rajya Sabha. Senior officials reached the spot and informed him about Parliament protocol,” the source added.
Sources said that the seniors learnt that the lapse blame rested with the Marshal who was the in-charge. However, instead of initiating any action against him, they are trying to push the matter under the carpet.
A “close protection team” of SPG, headed by a DIG rank officer, shadows the prime minister and other senior leaders to provide them the innermost ring of protection. The SPG, raised after former PM Indira Gandhi’s assassination in 1984, throws security layer in ring formats at their office-cum residences.
Interestingly last month, a CRPF jawan of Parliament Duty Group accidentally fired from his sophisticated weapon inside the Kot room (firearms storage room) near Iron Gate Number 8 of the Parliament Complex. Fortunately, no one was injured.
On October 29, a Rajya Sabha security assistant director lost his wireless set, meant to monitor VVIP movements during a visit to the Vigyan Bhavan. A passerby later found the set in the Tughlaq Road area and handed it over to the Delhi Police.
Clearly SPG was in a quandary due to mix up of top most leadership in the force. …The force was established in 1985 after the assassination of Indira Gandhi. It provides proximate security to protectees, including protection provided from close quarters, journey on foot, road, rail, aircraft, watercraft or any other means of transport, and includes places of functions, engagements, residence, etc. They comprise of ring round teams, isolation cordons, the sterile zone, and the rostrum and access control to the person or members of his immediate family. Recruits are drawn from the various Indian police forces, which undergo training similar to that conducted by the United States Secret Service. The officer cadre is made up of officers drawn from the various state and central cadres.
The work of the Special Protection Group became more organised after the Assassination of Rajiv Gandhi on May 21, 1991, (who was, at that time, not under SPG cover since his term as Prime Minister had ended). With more than 3,000 personnel, the Special Protection Group has, over a period of time, grown both in size as well as in specialisation. After the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, there have been no successful attempts to attack the Prime Minister or the Prime Minister’s family members.
In 2008, the unit underwent major modernisation program. The venerable Uzi, MP5 and Glock pistols were replaced by Belgian arms- FN Herstal products- the ‘Five Seven’ pistol, the P-90 submachine gun and FN 2000 Tactical Assault Rifle.
The force was provided with 5.7X28 mm armour capable of withstanding AK-47 rounds.
BOTTOM LINE : Viva SPG now, as always. Rest buried as History. Or may be, Fiction (which is always stranger than facts). Could be imaginary also. Leave it. PM’s “LIFE” most important. Modi or whoever is the PM !
