Bengaluru: Karnataka Governor Thaawar Chand Gehlot has been accorded Z+ security by the Union Home Ministry, following a security review. The enhanced security, which was previously managed by the state police, will now be overseen by the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Raj Bhavan officials confirmed. Armed CRPF personnel will accompany the governor in shifts during his travels across the state.
The decision was based on a review conducted by central intelligence agencies. Although the specific reasons behind the upgrade remain unclear, it is believed to be connected to the governor's approval of an investigation into the Mysore Urban Development Authority (MUDA) case, which allegedly involves Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his wife.
This security upgrade follows protests from Congress, including a controversial statement by Congress MLC Ivan D'Souza, who warned of a ‘Bangladesh-type agitation’ to remove the governor. In response, the Karnataka government had already provided Gehlot with a bulletproof vehicle.
While all governors are eligible for Z+ security, Gehlot, who assumed office in July 2021, had not opted for this level of protection until now. The Centre extended the enhanced cover after the latest threat assessment, which is conducted every six months. The CRPF has taken charge of the governor’s security, with additional procedures expected to be finalised this week.
Gehlot, 76, previously served as the Union Minister of Social Justice and Empowerment from 2014. He is the first person from Madhya Pradesh to hold the position of Governor in Karnataka.
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ISLAMABAD: At least two more cases of poliovirus were reported in Pakistan, taking the number of infections to 52 so far this year, a report said on Friday.
“The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health has confirmed the detection of two more wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) cases in Pakistan," an official statement said.
The fresh infections — a boy and a girl — were reported from the Dera Ismail Khan district of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province.
“Genetic sequencing of the samples collected from the children is underway," the statement read. Dera Ismail Khan, one of the seven polio-endemic districts of southern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province, has reported five polio cases so far this year.
Of the 52 cases in the country this year, 24 are from Balochistan, 13 from Sindh, 13 from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and one each from Punjab and Islamabad.
There is no cure for polio. Only multiple doses of the oral polio vaccine and completion of the routine vaccination schedule for all children under the age of five can keep them protected.