Centre decides to withdraw SPG security cover from Gandhi family

New Delhi, Nov 08: The Centre on Friday has decided to withdraw Special Protection Group (SPG) security from the Gandhi family (Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra), they will now be accorded Z+ security.

The Gandhi family will be given Z+ secuirty cover by Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) all over India.

Today, Centre has decided to withdraw the SPG security from the Gandhi family and this decision was taken after multiple security agencies carried out a threat perception assessment and found there was no direct threat to them.

The Indian SPG (Special Protection Group) is "an armed force of the Union for providing proximate security to the Prime Minister of India and former Prime Ministers (PMs) of India and members of their immediate families wherever in the world they are." It was formed in 1988 by an act of the Parliament of India.

In case if the former Prime Ministers, their immediate family members, and family members of a serving Prime Minister want they can also decline the SPG security.

The SPG, a force of roughly 3,000 active personnel, was formed in 1985 following the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her own bodyguards in 1984.

Currently, SPG protects only four people PM Narendra Modi and the three members of the Gandhi family- Sonia Gandhi, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra.

Earlier, Centre had also removed the SPG cover given to former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and downgraded his security to the Z-plus category in August.

According to procedures laid down by the SPG Act, 1988, Singh was entitled to SPG cover for one year after he resigned the office in 2014.