The Union Government has decided to withdraw the National Security Guard (NSG) from VIP security duties, handing over these responsibilities to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has said that this change will happen by next month. The NSG commandos, who are often called 'black cats,' will no longer be responsible for guarding VIPs after doing this job for more than 20 years.

The highest level of security, called 'Z plus' security, is currently provided to nine important VIPs by the NSG. Now this job will be given to the CRPF. These VIPs include well-known political leaders like Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and former Deputy Prime Minister L K Advani.

Others who will get new security teams include Union Shipping Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, BSP leader Mayawati, former Chhattisgarh CM Raman Singh, former Jammu and Kashmir CM Ghulam Nabi Azad, National Conference president Farooq Abdullah, and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.

The CRPF will have a big job taking over the security of these VIPs. To help with this, they will get a new group of specially trained officers. This group used to protect Parliament but will now focus on guarding VIPs. Parliament’s security was given to another force, the CISF, after a security issue happened there.

 

NSG should focus on counter-terrorism

 

The government decided to stop using the NSG for protecting VIPs so the NSG can focus on its main job, which is fighting terrorism and stopping hijackings. The NSG was created in 1984 for these special tasks, but over time, its commandos were also given the job of guarding important people.

Around 450 NSG commandos will no longer need to guard VIPs once this change happens. This will let the NSG focus on their main work, like fighting terrorism and handling hijackings, without worrying about VIP security. The government thinks this change will help the country be better prepared for big terror attacks.

A new group of CRPF officers, who were recently taken off Parliament security, will now be used to protect VIPs. This shows the government’s plan to let the NSG focus on its special skills and give the job of protecting VIPs to the CRPF, which is well-trained for this task.

 

ASL protocol for two VIPs

 

Out of the nine VIPs who will now be protected by the CRPF, two, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, will get extra security called the Advanced Security Liaison (ASL). This means a special team will check the places they visit in advance to make sure everything is safe.

Currently, the CRPF provides this protocol to other high-profile figures, including Home Minister Amit Shah, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, and members of the Gandhi family.

The idea to reduce the NSG’s role in protecting VIPs has been talked about for more than 10 years. In 2012, NSG officials said they were worried that they wouldn’t be able to handle several terror attacks at the same time if they were busy guarding VIPs.

In 2020, the government decided to stop using the NSG to protect some VIPs, including the Gandhi family. Now, by November, the final step of this change will be finished. This will allow the NSG to focus completely on its main job, like fighting terrorism.