The Ministry of Home Affairs has decided to increase the security for Tamil Nadu Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) chief Annamalai. According to India Today, Annamalai is expected to get Z-category security and 33 commandos will be deployed for his security. Reports state that the Ministry of Home Affairs will be providing Annamalai with the security. The commandos will be from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).
India Today’s report stated that the BJP chief is being given Z-category security by the Home Ministry in light of the heightened threats he has been facing. It is said that Annamalai, who was also an IPS officer before joining the BJP, had allegedly received threats from Maoists and religious extremists. After analysing the threats Annamalai had received, the Intelligence Bureau (IB) report recommended that he should be provided with Z-category security.
Z-category security involves a maximum of 55 personnel including commandos and police personnel, with at least 4 or 5 commandos from the National Security Guard (NSG). The NSGs are armed with machine guns and modern communication equipment. All of them are experts in martial and unarmed combat skills. People with Z-category security have two or three personal security officers (PSOs) who have eight or nine hour shifts. They are allowed to have a convoy of five vehicles where at least one vehicle is bulletproof. In India so far, almost 800 people have been given X, Y, Y+ and Z-category security.