Types of VIP securities in India

This article is written by Aditya Kohli, a student of Dharmashastra National Law University, Jabalpur.

Introduction

Sometimes ministers, industrialists or high-profile people get different types of protection and this complete security management in India done by NSG, ITBP, CRPF, CISF and Police. In this article, we will discuss which securities are available in India, such as which security is strict and how they differ from each other. The second thing is which person should get what kind of protection and how all these things are managed in India.

All these guidelines about what level of protection a person should be given and what should be in that protection exist in only two places, first Bluebook and second Yellow Book. Bluebook talks about the security provided to the President, Vice- President and Prime Minister of India. The Yellow book talks about the protection provided to the other VIP’s person or the political leaders.

When and what level of securities will give to which person in India. It is decided by the Ministry of Home Affairs of India in consultation with various intelligence agencies. Similarly, the process and function are done by the State government regarding security. If we talk about the present central government, then 230 people get different types of security in it, and in case of emergency, the list of these people keeps on increasing and decreasing. This is only the list of the central government, and the state government has its own list. There are only six levels of protection available in India: X, Y, Y+, Z, Z+ and SPG. So, we will discuss all these six levels of security one by one.

SPG Security (Special Protection Group).

It is an allied force that only protects the Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Now, most of you must be thinking that how much budget would have been for this security and how would it be managed. So, don’t worry, we will tell you everything. However, in the budget session of 2020, our Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman had allocated Rs 592 crore for SPG security, of which Rs 145 crore was said to be spent on modern security equipment and infrastructure.

For your information, let us tell you that till 1981, the responsibility of security of the Indian Prime Minister was with Delhi Police and Intelligence Bureau (The Special Task Force). But, as we all know that the Indian Prime Minister Indira Gandhi was assassinated, in 1984, after that incident, a review committee was constituted by the Ministry of Home Affairs to enhance the security of the Prime Minister.

The Establishment Committee was the “Birbal Nath Committee,” and on the recommendation of this committee, SPG Security was set up in April 1985 to protect the Indian Prime Minister. First of all, let us tell you one more relevant thing as you know, this SPG Security and National Guard is available only for the Indian Prime Minister. But no one knows how many members are in this protection because it is confidential information, which is not available in the public domain.

Z Plus Security

Z Plus security is the second-highest protection in India after SPG protection. This level of security consists of 55 security personnel, ten of whom are National Guard commandos who manage all arrangements. According to March 2021, the central government has a list of around 44 VIPs who are enjoying Z+ security. But who are the VIP people in this list is not known, and as this information is confidential, which is not available in the public domain. However, as per speculations in this list, we have Rahul Gandhi, Amit Saha, Rajnath Singh, Yogi Adityanath, Priyanka Gandhi, former prime ministers and some important or high-profile ministers, Supreme and High Court judges, army officers head and prominent personalities have Z pulse protection.

The government has to pay the cost of providing all this protection, like Rupees 20 lakh per month in Z+ security and Rupees 16 lakh per month for Z security, and the government pays all this money from taxpayers’ money. There are several people like Mukesh Ambani who bear the cost of his different levels of security itself. In such a situation, when actress Kangana Ranaut was given Y security, people asked why she was given protection. If she is provided security, she can afford that security as she is a well-established actress. Therefore, it is wrong to spend taxpayer’s money unnecessarily.

Z Security

Z security is the third-highest security in India; with this level of security, twenty-two security personnel are available, of whom four or five are National Security Guards or police personnel. This protection provided by the Delhi Police, Indo-Tibetan Border Police (I.T.B.P) and Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). Also, an escort vehicle covers both Z and Z+ protection.

Y Plus

Y Plus security is the fourth-highest security in India; with this level of security, eleven security personnel are available, of whom one or two are National Security Guards. Also, two personnel officers always surround their VIPs on a rotational basis. This security is exclusively the responsibility of the CRPF, and they handle all the arrangements.

Y and X Security

Y security is the small security in India; with this level of security, eight security personnel are available, of whom one or two are commandos or police personnel. Also, two personnel and commando’s officers always surround their VIPs on a rotational basis. In the end the last protection is X security is the very tiny security in India; with this level of security, two or three personnel are available.

Conclusion

Lastly, in India, there are a total of six types of security that protect VIPs. But mostly, in India, most VIPs have only X and Y security. The reason for choosing this protection is its low cost and easily manageable. The rest of the security would have been for very significant persons like PM, President, etc. These protections are only provided in Bluebook and Yellow book, ​​where you can read about them in-depth.