Home Ministry denies issuing new guidelines for VVIP security arrangements

The Ministry of Home Affairs on Wednesday said that no new restrictions have been added to existing guidelines or standard operating procedures (SOP) for the security arrangements of VVIPs.

Ashok Prasad, Advisor, Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), said that only a reiteration had been made about existing guidelines for VVIP security during road shows and there is no specific reference to ministers or any other dignitaries."The guidelines/SOPs are not new; they are a reiteration of existing guidelines and do not contain any specific reference to ministers or other dignitaries No new restrictions have been added through these guidelines/SOPs and only the laid down protocols have been reiterated," read the statement.

This clarification from the ministry came a day after it was reported that the security arrangement of Prime Minister Narendra Modi has been tightened in the wake of the upcoming General Election in 2019. It was reported that due to an "all-time high" threat to Prime Minister Modi, even ministers and officers will not be allowed to come too close to him unless cleared by the Special Protection Group (SPG). The close protection team (CPT) of the prime minister's security was also reportedly briefed about the new guidelines.

Recently, Pune police had told a court that they were in possession of a letter seized from the residence of one of the five people who has been arrested in connection with the Bhima-Koregaon violence, which talked about assassinating Prime Minister Modi in Rajiv Gandhi-type incident. General elections are due in April or May 2019.

During a recent visit to West Bengal, a man was able to break through six layers of security to touch the prime minister's feet, sending the security agencies into a tizzy.