India News | Continuously Enhancing Skills, Matching Standards with SPG: CRPF DG on VIP Security

New Delhi, Jan 21 (PTI) The CRPF, that provides protection to more than 60 high-risk people, on Thursday said it is continuously enhancing its skills and "matching standards" with the SPG that protects the prime minister.

With movement of VIPs expected to increase ahead of elections in various states, Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) Director General A P Maheshwari said the force has taken all steps to "empower" its commandos deployed for security duties of such persons and that they have "plugged the gaps."

"We have improved our VIP security skills. We are following the best security standards... we are working to match our skills with the best standards of the SPG (special protection group)," he told reporters during a press conference here.

The CRPF has at present 62 VIPs under its cover, including prominent political and government personalities such as home minister Amit Shah, BJP president J P Nadda and the first family of the Congress party like its president Sonia Gandhi, her children Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, and former prime minister Manmohan Singh among others.

"As on date, we are updated with the assessment of all the challenges. We have analysed the skill sets required by the people (CRPF commandos) deployed and I can assure that as per the standards laid down for security of a particular category, we have taken all steps to empower soldiers who are into VIP security," the DG said when asked about preparations of the force keeping in mind the upcoming election season.

Assembly polls in Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Puducherry are expected to be held in April-May this year.

Apart from the CRPF, two other forces -- the CISF and the NSG -- also provide such cover under the central VIP protection charter.

Maheshwari said the CRPF has gone into "past data and trends" to see possible areas where security can weaken, and said they are in touch with all stakeholders involved in this task including the various state police forces.

"We go for close-ring security. The outer ring is the responsibility of the state government. So, we are in contact with various agencies. Whatever lessons we learnt in the past, whatever was needed to plug those gaps, we have done that," he said. 

The CRPF chief said aspects of "upgrading technology for surveillance or assessment or in organising an armed or tactical response" have been worked upon. "I can assure that it is as best as it can be."

Asked about the recent attack on the convoy of Nadda during his visit to West Bengal, the CRPF DG said whatever happened in the "outer ring is in the domain of the state government and I believe that the authorities concerned are doing their job."

"We have a security system in place and have the capability of carrying out our VIP from such situations safe and secure," he said.

The DG was also asked about a video tagged on social media by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi in October where some CRPF troops reportedly alleged that they were being sent in non-bullet proof vehicles for operational duties. The force had then said it was looking into the authenticity of the video.

"There is no such complaint existing anywhere in the force," Maheshwari said.

"That question is irrelevant for us who made a statement whether it is fake or not. I am doing my job. My only interest was to know whether any person is really affected, whether there is a point of concern," he said, adding the force keeps "reallocating or redistributing" armoured vehicles as security is a dynamic process.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)