Tribune News Service
Chandigarh, September 30
The Punjab Police today began the tricky exercise to prune the security of new CM Charanjit Singh Channi besides reviewing security of other categories, including VVIPs, heads of religious bodies, deras and political persons.
A meeting of state Home Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa, officiating DGP Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota and ADGP-provisioning and security Naresh Arora took place to look on how many security persons can be withdrawn from Channi. The CM has currently 1,016 persons of the Punjab Police on his guard. Other categories have 5,300 cops providing them cover.
Home minister meets officiating DGP
A meeting of state Home Minister Sukhjinder Randhawa, officiating DGP Iqbal Preet Singh Sahota, ADGP (Provisioning and Security) Naresh Arora took place to look on how many security persons can be withdrawn from Channi. The CM has currently 1,016 persons of the Punjab Police on his guard. Other categories have 5,300 cops providing them cover.
Channi’s son at official meeting?
- Rhythmjit Singh, son of CM Charanjit Singh Channi, was reportedly seen sitting in the same room where the CM held a meeting with the officiating DGP and other senior police officials over security issues
- Principal Secretary to the Chief Minister Hussan Lal said generally it did not happen. “But the CM’s son did not interfere in the meeting,” he said
The last major pruning of security cover of these persons took place when Capt Amarinder Singh had taken over as the Chief Minister in March 2017. Like Channi, he wanted to thin down his cover arguing he wanted to end the VIP culture. From 1,392 cops on his security, the cover was pruned to 1,016. Similarly, nearly 1,500 men from the security of other categories were also withdrawn.
As the Punjab Police has recently seen a rising trend of discovery of tiffin bombs, sources said the security cover of the CM and the other protected ones was important. However, as Channi was insisting on reducing his to bare necessity, the Punjab Police will have to prune the number of guards protecting him. Today’s meeting took stock of the current situation and the threat perception of the CM. A decision is likely tomorrow.
For other categories, each case will have to be studied. The security is given as per the status and threat perception of the person concerned.
Process on to trim Punjab CM Channi’s security
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