CRPF claims security protocol ‘violations’ by Rahul Gandhi; Congress calls it intimidation

The Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) has flagged certain security protocol "violations" allegedly by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi during his movements, official sources said on Thursday.

The CRPF VIP security wing provides the top category 'Z plus (ASL)' armed protection to the 55-year-old Gandhi, the Leader of Opposition (LoP) in the Lok Sabha.

Around 10-12 armed CRPF commandos provide a proximate security cover to him whenever he is mobile.

As part of the Advanced Security Liaison (ASL), the force carries out an early reconnaissance of the locations to be visited by Gandhi.

Sources said the VIP security unit of the paramilitary force has sent a letter on Wednesday to Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, stating certain "unscheduled movements without intimation" by Gandhi during his domestic visits as well as before he left for abroad.

A copy of the said communication has also been marked to Gandhi's office, according to the sources.

Sources said such communication was "routine" in nature and had been sent by the CRPF security wing in the context of Gandhi's security in the past too.

The Congress party reacted to the development, raising questions over the timing of the communication and wondering whether it was a "veiled attempt" to intimidate its leader after he announced "another imminent disclosure" on "vote chori".

The force has underlined that unannounced movements by the protectee posed a "risk" to the security of the VIP, adding that stipulated guidelines should be followed mandatorily by the VIP and his staff.

Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said in a post on X, "The timing of the CRPF's letter and its instant public release raises disturbing questions. It comes just as Shri Rahul Gandhi is leading the charge against the BJP's Vote Chori carried out with the Election Commission's complicity."

It is also understood that the CRPF has furnished the guidelines to be followed, as stipulated in the central 'yellow book' for VIP security, and the need to keep the security wing in the loop all the time.

The VIP security cover under the central protection list starts from the highest Z-plus (ASL) category, followed by Z-plus, Z, Y, Y-plus and X.