Trimming of MP’s security a routine exercise, says Punjab CM

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, August 10

Chief Minister Capt Amarinder Singh on Monday rejected Congress Rajya Sabha MP Partap Singh Bajwa’s charges of “vindictiveness” in the withdrawal of his state police security, saying it was a “routine exercise” based on a periodic review of his threat assessment.

Bajwa had charged the Chief Minister for hitting “below the belt” by withdrawing the security.

The CM said while his government would never deny security to any person genuinely in need, it could not afford to spare police personnel unnecessarily, particularly when the force was under severe constraints and stress amid the Covid pandemic.

Pointing out that his government was providing security to the Badals in view of the specific inputs indicating a threat to their security, Captain Amarinder said Bajwa’s complaint on this account was “petty and frivolous”, and not based on facts.

With Punjab Police intelligence showing that he was not facing any specific terrorist or militant threat, Bajwa was only entitled to security cover as a Member of Parliament, he added.

He said the Congress MP continued to have a security detail of 14 persons, with one escort Gypsy with driver, as on March 23, 2020, when some of the personnel were withdrawn for Covid duty. Post March 23, 2020, Bajwa continued to have six security persons and one escort vehicle with a driver.

He pointed out that all protectees and VIPs in the state lost some of their security as 6,500 police personnel were withdrawn for district and Covid duty.

Their security had actually been reduced, unlike Bajwa who, in fact, now had a bigger security team than he had earlier, he added.

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