NB Bureau
Four former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir Farooq Abdullah, his son Omar Abdullah, Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad and PDP chief Mehbooba Mufti lose their Special Security Group (SSG) protection as the union territory’s administration has decided to wind up the elite unit established in 2000, media reported on Firday.
The decision was taken after a security review meeting by the government.
While the senior Abdullah and Azad would continue to get protection from the National Security Guards, Omar and Mufti would enjoy Z-Plus security, with the threat perception to them to be assessed by the Security Review and Coordination Committee. The personnel for their security would be drawn from the J&K Police’s security wing now and no longer the SSG.
The SSG Act had been amended following the abrogation of J&K’s special status, omitting the clause that the force provide security to former chief ministers and their families. It will continue to guard the CM and family.
According to NDTV, both Omar and Mehbooba said they were not informed of any such decision.
“The decision is clearly political and a response to our increased political activities,” said Omar Abdullah, adding that he was not informed about the development.
“I have not been informed about it formally. I can’t say why they are doing it,” said Mehbooba Mufti.
“You know the kind of situation we are living in. Yesterday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s cavalcade was stopped in Punjab and how it was projected. Here in Kashmir they are withdrawing our security,” she added.
(Inputs from Agencies)
