M A I N   N E W S

New VIP security policy
Tribune News Service

NEW DELHI, Feb 7 — The Centre today announced a new VIP security policy aimed at curtailing the same on the basis of threat perception and also to make it “less obtrusive with diluting efficacy’’.

The Union Home Secretary, Mr Kamal Pande, said a professional group would conduct a review every six months to evaluate the parametres and upgrade or downgrade the available security to 366 protected persons.

Addressing a press conference at North Block, Mr Pande said the Home Ministry had decided to rationalise the deployment of the National Security Guard ‘black-cat commandos’ who at present guard 19 persons.

Mr Pande said the first review was over, but declined to name the persons who had been removed from the protectee list.

To alter the public perception, the nomenclature had been changed from VIP security to ‘personal security’, he said adding that the term VIP security had tended to connote a picture of more VIP than security.

The security would be provided at government cost only on comprehensive assessment of threat by security agencies and such threats should predominantly come from militants or terrorists.

“The existence of threat to an individual from his professional rivals will not by itself be the basis for providing security’ he said adding that due consideration would be given in cases where threat emanated from organised criminal mafia or gangs and the protectee himself was not involved with them.

Another significant change was that a person would not be given security just because he held a sensitive public office. It would terminate with the demitting of office and future provision would be based on actual threat perception, Mr Pande said.

He said security works at government expenses were provided as per existing norms. However, it was observed that in several cases attempts were made to seek security justification for additional works like addition, alteration at government expense.

From now on, any additional works will be provided only as per CPWD norms which include part-sharing of expenditure by the occupant of the house and if protectee resides in private accommodation, no additions or alterations will be permitted in the premises at government cost.

While security personnel have been asked to be courteous, and cause minimum inconvenience to the general public, the protectees have been asked not to “misuse” their security personnel or misbehave with them. The ministry has warned that in case such instances come to its notice, then the government may withdraw security cover.

In order to make security less obtrusive, the ministry has asked the protectees, especially those who have NSG guards that the “black cats” will not accompany them to public places like hotels or parks. In case they have to go, the security personnel will comprise plainclothesmen only.

TN students call off strike

CHENNAI, Feb 7 (UNI) — Students of the Tamil Nadu Agricultural University (TNAU) today decided to call off their agitation and attend classes from February 16 following Chief Minister M. Karunanidhi’s assurance to them that all-out efforts would be made to bring to book those involved in the torching of a university bus in which three girl students were burnt alive on February two.

The violence was an aftermath to the conviction of AIADMK supremo J. Jayalalitha in a corruption case.

The Chief Minister assured a students delegation which called on him at the Secretariat here, to consider all their demands including enactment of a stringent legislation to deal with those indulging in such barbaric acts. The 20-member delegation was led by university Vice-Chancellor S. Kanniayan.

The students had announced an indefinte agitation, but suspended it to meet the Chief Minister.

The Chief Minister also agreed to take action against a policeman who was present near the scene of the crime but was unhelpful and those who were inside a police jeep which passed by without stopping when the bus was afire.

The delegation comprised 20 students, including five girls and two boys who made a vain bid to save the girls trapped in the burning bus in outskirts of Dharmapuri.

Meanwhile, Tamil Maanila Congress president G.K. Moopanar today backed ADMK general secretary J. Jayalalitha’s demand for a CBI probe into the torching of a bus in Dharmapuri resulting in the death of three college girls.

In a statement here, he said the incident has assumed political overtones especially in view of the coming by-elections to three assembly seats.

Students who had witnessed the gory incident were expressing divergent view about it. Meetings of students in Chennai and Coimbatore had condemned efforts to politicise the incident, he pointed out.

In a related development former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister and AIADMK general secretary J. Jayalalitha today filed an appeal in the Madras High Court against the special judge order convicting her in the Pleasant Stay Hotel case and awarding a sentence of one year’s rigorous imprisonment.

In her appeal, Ms Jayalalitha said the special judge order was against the law, weight of evidence and probabilities of the case and had resulted in grave miscarriage of justice.

Ms Jayalalitha said the judge had failed to see that the prosecution had not submitted any evidence to prove that there was any illegal motive on her part in signing and approving the order granting exemption to the hotel to construct a multi-storeyed structure at Kodaikanal, proposed by Mr Selvaganapathy, who was in independent charge of the department concerned.

The judge had failed to see that there was not an iota of evidence to show that she knew Rakesh Mittal and Palai Shanmugham or anybody connected with the hotel. Hence, the question of meeting of minds for conspiracy could never arise, she contended.

DHARMAPURI (TN): One more person wanted in connection with the gruesome bus torching incident involving suspected AIADMK workers here last week surrendered before a court today.

Police said, 28-year-old Govinda-swamy, a loca AIADMK leader of Lakkiyampatti, surrendered before with fifth judicial magistrate, Salem, who remanded him to judicial custody till February 14.