New Delhi, March 13 The Union home ministry will conduct a comprehensive security audit of all VIPs under central security cover in the wake of the assassination attempt on former Jammu and Kashmir chief minister Farooq Abdullah, officials said on Friday.
The decision to hold the review next week was taken in a meeting chaired by Union Home Minister Amit Shah, National Security Advisor Ajit Doval, Home Secretary Govind Mohan, Intelligence Bureau (IB) Director Tapan Deka, and senior officials from the VIP security wing of the MHA, they said.
Such VIPs are provided with security cover by central paramilitary forces like the CRPF, CISF, NSG, and ITBP.
Officials said the review will also be relevant because assembly elections in five states – Assam, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Kerala, and Puducherry – are taking place soon, requiring a number of political VIPs to travel across these regions.
There are approximately 400 VIPs in various security categories under the central list, which includes about 220 with the CRPF, 156 with the CISF, nine with the NSG, and a few with the ITBP