PANJIM: As Goa turns popular among the who’s who from the national and international circle, Goa Police records indicate that at least one ‘protected person’ is present in Goa on any given day, which mandates that Goa Police provide personnel for protection depending on the security cover of the person.
The last three years 2016 to 2018 saw over 1,500 VIPs and VVIPs visiting the State, with the peak months of November-December recording the most arrivals.
The persons who were provided security cover during their visit included big names like President Ram Nath Kovind, Vice President Venkaiah Naidu, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Defence Minister Nirmala Sitharaman, BJP National President Amit Shah, AICC President Rahul Gandhi, chairman and managing director of Reliance Industries Limited Mukesh Ambani and his family, and chairman of All India Anti-Terrorist Front Maninderjeet Singh Bitta among others.
The year 2018 saw 543 visitors classified under different security covers, among whom five had the Distinguished Foreigners (DF) scale. Of the total, 20 persons falling under the ‘Z plus’ category security were provided this protection during their stay in the State, while 67 had ‘Z
security,’ 53 were ‘Y plus’ category, 90 ‘Y category’ and 31 were covered under ‘X category’ security. The remaining included four VVIPs and 274 Other Protected Persons.
The previous year recorded 572 individuals with heightened security visiting the State for various purposes while 2016 year had the highest of 591 persons under different types of security blankets.
As per official records, the category is divided into four tiers – Z+ (highest level), Z, Y and X depending on the threat perception to a particular individual such as President, Vice-President, Prime-Minister, Supreme Court and High Court Judges, Chiefs of Indian Armed Forces, Governors, Chief Ministers and Cabinet Ministers and others.
While a specific number of personnel and vehicles for individuals guarded under each category are specified by the Centre, Goa Police refused to give details of armed personnel provided by them to protected persons during their visit to the State.
“When a person classified under a certain security cover category is in Goa, he is accordingly allotted personnel (for the duration of the stay) from Goa Police,” SP (Security) Bosco George told Herald, declining to divulge the exact number of personnel assigned to the protected persons.
