The Narendra Modi government at the Center on Wednesday provided ‘Z Plus’ category security to Nationalist Congress Party (Sharadchandra Pawar) chief Sharad Pawar. Official sources gave this information. The Union Home Ministry has asked the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) to provide security to the 83-year-old former Chief Minister of Maharashtra. A team of 55 armed CRPF personnel has been deployed for this task.
Sources said that a review of the threat assessment by central agencies has recommended providing strong security to Pawar. Sources said that the Center has provided him with ‘Z Plus’ category security cover. According to sources, a CRPF team is already in Maharashtra to carry out this task. ‘Z Plus’ security is the highest category of armed VIP security. The classification of VIP security category starts with the highest ‘Z Plus’. It is followed by ‘Z’, ‘Y Plus’, ‘Y’ and ‘X’.
Let us tell you that Sharad Pawar has been the Chief Minister of Maharashtra thrice. He was the CM of Maharashtra from 1978-1980, 1988-1991, and 1993-1995. Apart from this, Pawar has also played important roles in the central government. He has held important posts like Agriculture Minister, Defense Minister. The NCP co-founded by him in 1999 was split by his nephew Ajit Pawar in July last year. The Election Commission has recognized the Ajit faction as the ‘real’ NCP. At present, the NCP (SP) has challenged it in the Supreme Court.
The VIP security wing of the CRPF is a special unit that provides security to people specified by the Union Home Ministry. These VIPs include Union ministers, governors, politicians, government officials, spiritual leaders, businessmen and other prominent personalities. Meanwhile, Pawar’s daughter Supriya Sule on Wednesday requested Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis, who is also the Maharashtra Home Minister, to remove the policemen deployed for her security. She made this appeal to Fadnavis after the alleged sexual assault of two four-year-old girls by a sweeper at a school in Badlapur in Thane district.
In a statement, she said that a large part of the police force is engaged in providing security to present and former MPs and she herself is among these MPs. Sule said, however, that given the current pressure on law enforcement agencies, it is not appropriate to maintain such security arrangements. The NCP (SP) working president said, “Therefore, I request the Home Minister to immediately remove the policemen deployed for my security. These officers should be deployed for the security of the public.”