BJP leader Annamalai gets ‘Y’ Scale security

Centre enhances protection with CRPF cover

The Ministry of Home Affairs has accorded ‘Y’ Scale of security to Bharatiya Janata Party Tamil Nadu president K. Annamalai. According to police sources, he would be protected round-the-clock by armed Personal Security Officers drawn from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and the Security Branch CID of the State police.

Security cover for Mr. Annamalai was enhanced after a detailed assessment of his threat perception. Intelligence agencies gathered the level of threat to the former IPS officer-turned-politician in the recent weeks and prepared a report, the sources said. Last month, petrol-filled bottles, the wick in one bottle lit, were hurled at Kamalalayam, the State BJP headquarters in Chennai. One person was arrested by the city police on the charges of hurling the petrol bomb on the party office shortly after midnight on February 10. Mr. Annamalai would now on be protected by at least four armed security personnel and guards posted at his residence and halting place. Local police would also enhance outer-ring security to the protectee and enhance surveillance in the vicinity of his place of stay, the sources said. A few weeks ago, the BJP leader claimed that the State intelligence was tapping his mobile phone. The Tamil Nadu government had scaled down the security of many protectees after their threat perceptions were assessed by the Security Review Committee about three months ago. The security of former Chief Minister Edappadi K. Palaniswami was also downgraded from Z-Plus cover (that he was provided as Chief Minister) to Y-Plus with CRPF cover, the sources added. As BJP’s State vice-president Mr. Annamalai was given Y-Plus security cover in February 2021 following suspected threat to his life from extremist organisations. The scale was later reduced to ‘X’ Scale.