Family members of former Prime Ministers to lose SPG cover
New Delhi/IBNS: The family members of former Prime Ministers are set to lose the privilege of being guarded by the high-level Special Protection Group commandos as the Union cabinet has approved the amendments to the SPG Act.
The decision comes two weeks after the Centre lifted the SPG cover of Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her children Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra and former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.
The Home Ministry will introduce the SPG Act (Amendment) Bill in the Lok Sabha the following week.
"The new Act will provide security to the sitting Prime Minister only," a senior government official was quoted as saying by NDTV.
The official said the provision of guarding the family members of the former prime ministers was introduced after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi in 1991 by LTTE terrorists. Before the incident also, only the PM was guarded by the special force.
After the Bill is passed in the Parliament, Prime Minister Narendra Modi will be the only one to be protected by SPG.
The Home Ministry officials have said SPG will be leaner in strength after the duties of the security force are curtailed. Right now, there are 3,500 men in SPG.
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