Govt withdraws Manmohan Singh's SPG cover

The government has withdrawn the SPG protection given to former prime minister Manmohan Singh following a review by multiple security agencies, officials said on Monday. Singh, who was India's prime minister from 2004 and 2014, will continue to enjoy Z plus security cover -- one of the highest -- to be given by one of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), preferably by the CRPF, they said.

"The current security cover review is a periodical and professional exercise based on threat perception that is purely based on a professional assessment by security agencies. Dr. Manmohan Singh continues to have Z+ security cover," a home ministry spokesperson said. The decision to withdraw the security provided by the Special Protection Group (SPG), the country's highest grade of protection, was taken after a three-month review involving the Cabinet Secretariat and the Ministry of Home Affairs with inputs from various intelligence agencies.

With the removal of SPG cover from Singh, the top-notch security cover will now be given by the SPG only to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Gandhis -- Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka.