No more Special Protection Group (SPG) security for Manmohan Singh
New Delhi: The government has withdrawn the SPG protection given to former prime minister Manmohan Singh following a review by multiple security agencies, officials said on Monday.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 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.
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4 workers die after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad
Dhanbad (Jharkhand) (PTI): At least four workers died after being buried under coal slurry in Jharkhand's Dhanbad district on Saturday, a police official said.
The incident took place at Moonidih coal washery in the command area of Bharat Coking Coal Limited (BCCL).
"Bodies of all four workers were dug out of debris during a rescue operation," Putki police station in-charge Waqar Hussain told PTI.
The incident took place when coal slurry was being loaded into trucks by workers, during which a large chunk of slurry fell and trapped several workers underneath, officials said.
The deceased have been identified as Manik Bauri, Dinesh Bauri, Deepak Bauri, and Hemlal Gope.
Meanwhile, the family members of the deceased and local villagers placed the bodies in front of the washery gate and began a protest.
They demanded compensation, jobs for dependents and action against those responsible for the incident.
Police and administration officials are trying to pacify the protesters, an official said.
