Govt now withdraws Sinh’s security cover

SECURITY OF FORMER HOME MINISTERS BUTA SINGH, P CHIDAMBARAM AND SUSHIL KUMAR SHINDE HAS ALSO BEEN SCALED DOWN

NEW DELHI: After enjoying security at tax payers’ expense for more than 20 years, former Union minister Matang Sinh has finally lost all Central Reserve Police guards assigned to him under the Z Plus security, sources told HT.

Sinh, an accused in the multi-crore Saradha scam, was enjoying various categories of government provided security from almost 1993 onwards when he had become a Union minister of state in the then Narasimha Rao government.

“Matang Sinh’s security over the last few years had become totally disproportionate to the threats he faced. Before being arrested he was being guarded by more than 100 CRPF men under the Z Plus category. Even in jail, the jail authorities were providing him security under the same category. Now he is no longer a state protectee under any kind of category. All guards assigned to him have been called back,” said a home ministry official.

Anil Goswami was sacked by the government as Union home secretary on the charges of trying to stall Sinh’s arrest.

Besides Sinh, security of three former Union home ministers – Buta Singh, P Chidambaram and Sushil Kumar Shinde from highest Z Plus category to Z category has also been scaled down.