Kolkata: After completion of 103 days in
office, a major change was today effected in West Bengal Chief
Minister Mamata Banerjee`s security cover with state police
replacing the Railway Protection Force (RPF).
The state force has taken over the responsibility of the
major security ring around the Chief Minister, which was so
far looked after by the RPF personnel, secretariat officials
said.
Of the 75 RPF personnel deployed earlier to look after
the security of the Chief Minister, only 13 personnel would be
left now in the CM`s convoy and the rest would be sent back to
their parent department marking a major transition in the
security cover.
The Additional Director General of security, Virendra,
who also looks after the CM`s security in the state, said
apart from those deployed in the main security ring around the
CM, a large number of security and intelligence personnel were
always deployed beyond the security ring for the protection
of the CM who enjoyed `Z Plus` category.
Even as the state government cited no official reason for
this major change in decision, it was reportedly the whopping
bill from the RPF which prompted the state government to take
this decision.
It was the state police which provided security to the
chief minister but Banerjee preferred the RPF to provide
security cover as she had enjoyed their service during her
tenure as Railway Minister, they said.
On occasions, the chief minister is known to have refused
to take security around her as per `Z-Plus` norm, including
that of bullet-proof car provided for her, created problems
for the officials, they said.
Incidentally, the security shake-up came at a time when
CM`s security was breached yesterday with a youth attempting
to dive in front of the CM`s convoy at the intersection of
Hazra Road and Harish Mukherjee street in South Kolkata.
PTI
