The removal of K. Durga Prasad as the Director of the Special Protection Group (SPG), mandated to protect the Prime Minister and former Prime Ministers and their families, brings to the fore a lingering tension between the current Prime Minister’s Office and the elite force.
SPG commandos are now at a distance from the Prime Minister and are also fewer in number.
“The SPG has been perceived as too close to the Congress, because it was raised initially to protect Rajiv Gandhi in office. The most high-profile persons protected by the force have been Gandhi family members and it has not helped that on more than one occasion, SPG personnel joined the Congress,” said a retired official who had served in the force.
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Two serious breaches in the Prime Minister’s security have indicated loopholes in recent weeks. On October 31, at the swearing-in of the Maharashtra Council of Ministers, an unauthorised person managed to break the three-tier security cordon and get on the dais with the Prime Minister.
In the second incident, a car was able to cross over between Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s convoy from the Tribhuvan international airport in Kathmandu to Soaltee Hotel, where he stayed during the SAARC summit earlier this week.
During his visit to Japan in September, people walked up to Mr. Modi in the hotel lobby and clicked selfies, according to an eyewitness. “Some of them were carrying bags, which were obviously unchecked,” the eyewitness said.
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Though Mr. Prasad’s removal has not been officially linked to these events, a disconnect between PMO officials and the security chief was apparent, according to sources.