Government recalls SPG status for Gandhi family

Centre is set to withdraw the Gandhi family's Special Protection Group security cover. The Gandhi family comprising Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka will continue to have Z-plus security cover.

Commandos trained by the Central Reserve Police Force will be taking care of the family's security. The decision has been taken after assessing threat inputs from all agencies. There has been no direct threat to the Gandhi family in the recent past according to sources.

Recently, the government had downgraded the security cover of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh from SPG to Z+.

Congress leader Ahmed Patel reacted to the move through a tweet saying, "The BJP has descended to the ultimate personal vendetta mechanism, compromising the lives of family members of 2 Former Prime Ministers to acts of terror and violence."

The Special Protection Group is an elite armed force that provides proximate security to the Prime Minister of India and his or her family members.

Indira Gandhi's assassination led to the formation of the Special Security Group. Apart from the Prime Minister and his family members, SPG also protects former prime ministers for a certain time; this protection is reviewed periodically and is extended or downgraded.