Assembly in session: 1,515 security men deployed for 464 VVIP 'protectees' in Haryana

Geetanjali Gayatri

Chandigarh, August 8

In Haryana, as many as 1,515 security personnel have been deployed for 464 “protectees”, including the Rohtak BJP office, a private school run by a BJP leader and sitting and former parliamentarians and legislators. Security personnel have been provided to them based on the threat perception and the cost is being borne by the state government, while six “protectees” are paying for their own security.

While MP Ramesh Kaushik of Sonepat has a maximum of 10 personnel among MPs, parliamentarian Rattan Lal Kataria, with Y-category security, has nine. Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar with the Z-category security has 286 personnel.

Home Minister Anil Vij has 27 security personnel, while other ministers have 18 personnel each.

In response to a question by Opposition MLAs Abhay Singh Chautala and Neeraj Sharma, tabled on the first day of the monsoon session, here today, the government said 66 security personnel had been deployed for 15 parliamentarians, 17 for former parliamentarians, 811 for 90 MLAs, 98 for 37 former MLAs, while 523 security personnel had been deployed for 316 other persons, including leaders of various categories.

The MLAs, who received threats have two to six security personnel, while Deputy CM Dushyant Chautala (Z-category) has 37 security personnel.

Congress president Udai Bhan, also an MLA, has two security personnel. BJP state chief and former MLA OP Dhankar has 14 security personnel, according to the information tabled in the House.

While Dhankar tops the number of security personnel allocated to him among former MLAs, Congress MLA Randeep Singh Surjewala with the Y-category security has 11 and former BJP minister Manish Grover has six.

Consumer Disputes Redressal Commission chairman TPS Maan and State Information Commissioner Vijai Vardhan have seven security personnel each, while former IPS officer Anil Rao (Y-category) has 11 personnel. Wives of BJP leaders, a private school in Rohtak, belonging to a BJP leader, are among the others who have been provided security at the government expense.

Reacting to the information, Abhay Singh Chautala said, “Even the BJP office in Rohtak faces threat and has been provided security cover of four personnel. The BJP-JJP government has given security to local leaders and claimed it is on threat basis. The government should explain why a school, an office, a party chief need so many men for security, while the MLAs who got threatening calls have to make do with four or five personnel. Also, when these VIPs can be given vehicles to carry security personnel, why are the MLAs discriminated against and asked to take their security in their own vehicles? I asked this during the Calling Attention motion, but the government had no answers,” he said.

811 cops for 90 MLAs

The government said 66 security personnel had been deployed for 15 parliamentarians, 17 for former parliamentarians, 811 for 90 MLAs, 98 for 37 former legislators, while 523 security personnel had been deployed for 316 other persons, including leaders of various categories