Centre grants Z-category security cover to Dalai Lama       

The Centre has provided a Z-category armed protection cover to Tibetan spiritual leader Dalai Lama in view of potential security threats to him, official sources said on Thursday.

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The Union home ministry has directed the VIP security wing of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to take charge of the 89-year-old leader.

Sources said the Dalai Lama would be secured by a Z-category protection cover of CRPF commandos in all parts of the country.

He had a small protection cover of the Himachal Pradesh Police and was extended security when he travelled to Delhi or any other place by the local police.

The government has now granted him a uniform security cover after a review by central intelligence agencies, a senior officer said.

A team of about 30 CRPF commandos would work in shifts to secure the Dalai Lama, he said.

In a similar move, the home ministry has provided a Z-category cover to BJP leader Sambit Patra in Manipur, sources said.

The 50-year-old Puri MP is in charge of the party's affairs in the state, which has been witnessing ethnic violence for almost two years.