The Union Home Ministry is set to strengthen the security of the Minister of Human Resources Development Smriti Irani after student protests against her climbing following the suicide of Dalit student Rohith Vemula at the University of Hyderabad last month .
Being a minister, Ms. Irani now has the right to Y-category security. The government plans to upgrade its security category Z, under which 20 security men keep going at any given time.
At present, only a few ministers and ministers of state enjoy Z or Z-plus security. Those with Z-plus security are home minister Rajnath Singh, Finance Minister Arun Jaitley, Minister of Road Transport Nitin Gadkari and Ministers of State Kiren Rijiju and Jitendra Singh. National Security Adviser Ajit Doval, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat and BJP president Amit Shah also enjoy Z-plus security.
"The safety of VIP is granted on the basis of threat perception. Amid reports that the Minister of HRD could be compromised, we plan to extend security to its Z-category, "said a government official.
The official said that every other day there was a demonstration in front of Shastri Bhavan, the HRD minister's office.
VIP security is said to be a matter of prestige for many politicians, with many visiting Mr. Rajnath Singh's office to ask for it. Two committees decide the level of security.
One group is the examination of the protection and the other is the Categorization Security Committee. Both are run by the Union Home Ministry and including the Office of Intelligence officials.
Around five months ago, a Cabinet Minister gave several representations to the Home Minister about the threat to her life. However, an assessment by intelligence agencies found no credible threat, and her request was rejected.
