Punjab Police has called Delhi Police a threat to the life of Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal from Khalistani terrorists. Citing this, it has been written about providing additional security cover to the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) convener. However, Delhi Police has rejected this demand for the time being. Officials gave this information on Saturday. Delhi Police has said that Kejriwal already has the highest level of security under the Z+ category approved by the Union Home Ministry.
Delhi Police said in a statement, “A letter was received from Punjab Police in this regard and it was duly sent to the Ministry of Home Affairs. MHA has agreed with the view that Delhi Police will continue to provide security cover to the Chief Minister as per Z+ security category. Further, if Punjab Police has any relevant intelligence inputs, it can be immediately shared with Delhi Police and central agencies for evaluation and action.
The Home Ministry has not issued an official statement on the matter. An official, on condition of anonymity, said, “There is a sufficient number of personnel under the security of Delhi Police for the Chief Minister of Delhi. The threat assessment for each VIP is done on a regular basis. If need be, we will increase the security further.”
The Director General of Police, Punjab was also asked a question on this matter, but he has not answered it. A Punjab Police official, on the condition of anonymity, confirmed that a letter was sent to Delhi Police about the threat to Kejriwal. He did not say when it was written.
The matter comes days after Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) youth wing leader Tajinder Bagga was detained by the Punjab Police from his home in the national capital.
The Punjab Police had sought the arrest of the BJP youth wing’s national secretary in a case registered over her alleged remarks of threatening Kejriwal. Bagga was later granted protection from arrest by the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
Punjab government had reduced the security of former CM
Punjab CM Bhagwant Mann had recently cut the security of 8 VIP leaders of the state while reviewing the security for the third time. The names of former Punjab CM Rajinder Kaur Bhattal, MP Harsimrat Kaur Badal and former Punjab Congress chief Sunil Jakhar were included in this list. The Punjab government has withdrawn 127 policemen and 9 vehicles after security cuts. Regarding the cut in the security of these leaders, the Punjab government said that the soldiers would be brought back to the police station for the safety of the public.