Among the VIPs affected are high-profile figures such as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and former deputy prime minister L K Advani…reports Asian Lite News
The Union government has ordered the complete withdrawal of National Security Guard (NSG) commandos from VIP security duties, transferring protection of nine “high-risk” VIPs to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) by next month, according to official sources. The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has also sanctioned a fresh CRPF battalion, previously assigned to Parliament security, to join its VIP security wing.
Among the VIPs affected are high-profile figures such as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, and former deputy prime minister L K Advani. The CRPF will assume their security under the Z-plus category protection. Other leaders impacted by this transition include Mayawati, Sarbananda Sonowal, Raman Singh, Ghulam Nabi Azad, Farooq Abdullah, and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu.
This shift is expected to be completed within a month, as the CRPF, which already has six battalions dedicated to VIP security, will absorb a seventh battalion. This new battalion used to guard Parliament before the security of the complex was handed over to the CISF after a breach last year.
Notably, two of the VIPs—Rajnath Singh and Yogi Adityanath—will also benefit from the CRPF’s advanced security liaison (ASL) protocol, which involves advance reconnaissance of locations they plan to visit.
The withdrawal of NSG from VIP security duties is part of a long-term plan to refocus the elite force on counter-terrorism. The decision follows recommendations dating back to 2012 and builds on moves in recent years, including the 2020 removal of NSG from the Gandhi family’s security detail. The restructuring will allow the NSG to deploy ‘strike teams’ in high-risk areas, such as the Ram temple in Ayodhya and critical southern assets. This marks the end of a two-decade-long chapter of NSG involvement in VIP protection.
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