The elite Special Protection Group (SPG) is guarding the incumbent Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and  four former premiers - Atal Bihari Vajpayee, V P Singh, I K Gujral, H D Deve Gowda and their families in addition to Congress president Sonia Gandhi and her two children --Rahul and Priyanka Gandhi.

From a small  group of 200 specially-trained security men in 1985 when the group was established, the SPG today has a strength of over 3500 personnel.

Sonia, among all VVIPS, is perhaps, the most “threatened” and so protected with highest number of personnel and bullet proof vehicles. The SPG Act was amended specifically to extend it to Sonia Gandhi  and her children and grandchildren.  Former premiers and their families happen to be its beneficiary by default as the government of the day wanted to “balance its Act!”

The country-wide operations of the force have spiralled up the cost of  “protection”  with  huge increase in cars, scanners and other paraphernalia required for high precision protection. The expenditure has made a quantum jump over the years, going up from around  Rs 8 crore at the beginning, to over an estimated Rs100 crore
today.

The need to  protect  former prime ministers and their families has forced the SPG to often “shift and shuffle” the numbers at its command.

The SPG cover for Congress president and her two children was extended in 1999 by a Presidential ordinance and later continued on the basis of periodic assessment of threat perception. The Act now prescribes norms for determining threat perception and also, if required, withdrawal of the SPG cover from a former PM’s family members, but it remains a “sensitive” issue. 

After a recent review, non-SPG security provided to about 30 officials was downgraded. The Home Ministry is also considering changing the ground rules for extending security cover to politicians and officials.

The “threat perception” to former PMs and their families have, however, not been realistically reviewed. Singh, Gujaral and Gowda, perhaps, don’t face real threats and SPG cover could be safely lifted from themif a request comes from the inviduals themselves. Now, UP Chief Minister Mayawati  wants to enter “the elite club” citing “death threats” from none other than “the ruling Congress leaders.” Not a good time for the SPG!