VIPs must submit foreign travel plan to police: MHA

New Delhi, Sep 23: The Home Ministry has asked all VIPs with personal security officers to inform police forces concerned when they travel abroad for better coordination with foreign agencies.

In a communication, the Home Ministry told all state police forces to ensure that whenever any VIP travels abroad he or she must inform the agency which gives police protection as that would enable smooth coordination with security agencies abroad and ensure proper protection. The first order in this regard was sent last year after the conviction of three Sikh extremists, including a woman, in the United Kingdom for carrying out an attack on Lt Gen (retd) Kuldip Singh Brar on September 30, 2012, a Home Ministry official said.

General Brar had led 'Operation Blue Star' in 1984 to flush out pro-Khalistani militants from the Golden Temple in Amritsar. Following a recent Home Ministry directive, Delhi Police on September 12 sent identical letters to Congress chief Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra, former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's two sons-in-law, Vijay Tankha and Ashok Patnaik, and former Prime Minister Atal Bihar Vajpayee's son- in-law Ranjan Bhattacharya asking them to inform Delhi Police whenever they travel abroad.

Tankha's two sons, Raghav and Madhav, Patnaik's son Rohan and Bhattacharya's daughter Niharika have also been asked to inform Delhi Police whenever they travel to any foreign country. Former Prime Minister HD Deve Gowda and his wife Chinamma Deve Gowda were also sent a similar letter.

The letter asks the VIPs to inform about the nature of the visit, purpose of the visit, detailed programme, address of the host, date and time of arrival and departure and duration of the tour abroad. "We have asked all state police forces to ensure that each protectee must submit their travel plans abroad well in advance and strictly follow the protocol," the Home Ministry official said.

PTI