Govt to restore security of 424 VVIPs on June 7: Punjab to HC

Chandigarh: The security cover of 424 VVIPs will be restored on June 7, the Punjab government said on Thursday, days after Congress leader and singer Sidhu Moose Wala – who was among those whose security cover was curtailed – was shot dead.

Moose Wala was shot dead on May 29 by unidentified assailants in Mansa district. The Aam Aadmi Party (AAP)-led state government, which has come under immense criticism over downgrading or withdrawing the security cover, told the Punjab and Haryana high court that it was temporarily withdrawn or pruned and is to be automatically restored on June 7.

Senior deputy advocate general Gaurav Garg Dhuriwala told the HC bench of justice Raj Mohan Singh that the security cover of 424 protectees was curtailed/withdrawn vide May 26 notification in view of the Operation Bluestar anniversary, which falls on June 6. This was a routine exercise undertaken every year, he said.

The government’s response came on a May 30 plea by former deputy chief minister OP Soni, whose security cover was also curtailed. Taking note of the singer’s death and other pleas on the issue, the court had asked the government to explain the basis on which it issued orders to remove the security cover of over 400 protectees.

Dhuriwala informed the court that with regard to the de-categorisation of security cover of some VIPs, including OP Soni, it has taken place as per the government policy on May 11. There are various judgments of Supreme Court and high courts in which courts have deprecated practice of providing unnecessary security cover on public expenses. Those who still feel and want more security men, can ask for the same by paying requisite amount of money to the government, he told the court.

With respect to Soni’s security cover, the court was informed that he still has 18 guards with him. A sealed cover report too was submitted by the government about the process according to which Soni’s security cover was de-categorised on May 11. Soni’s argument was that Punjab Police withdrew security cover of 184 ex-ministers and former MLAs on a “pick-and-choose basis rather than actual threat perception”.

“The withdrawal is a result of populist action being taken by the government, instead of assessment of actual serious threat to the lives of these persons. Whereas Z+ category security has been provided to Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and Rajya Sabha MP Raghav Chadha among others,” the plea had claimed.