RAIPUR: Congress legislator Janak Lal Dhruv, a tribal leader, representing Bindranavagarh assembly constituency in Gariyaband district, about 110 km from Raipur, citing Maoist terror has sought upgradation of his security cover from X to Y+ category.Dhruv said that like other MLAs in the disturbed areas of Bastar range have been given Y+ security, he too should be provided the same since the present protection of 2-3 police personnel is not enough to safeguard him during any attack by the Maoists.“I have sleepless nights owing to Maoist terror. Staying in a village I had to cover my assembly segment to meet people but can’t go. Bidnranavagarh was the only seat where Maoists attacked the polling party in the 2023 Assembly elections and a personnel of Indo Tibetan Border Police was killed just 5 km from my residential place. The area often witnessed movements of Maoists. Considering all these, I had raised the issue in the previous budget session of the House and later written to the state to provide me Y+ category but so far my plea remains unheeded”, he said. Though he has not received any threat from the Maoists.The Congress leader said the norms on security cover applicable for the MLAs living in sensitive areas having the presence of left-wing extremists should be uniformly implemented for all irrespective of which political party he or she belongs to.“When the legislators from the ruling party (BJP) in Bastar region can get Y+ security, why should then I be deprived of it. This suggests step-motherly treatment when my repeated appeal for the past 7 months has not been considered by the state government. I have now written to union home minister Amit Shah and will again appeal to the government”, Dhruv added.Officials in the home department told this newspaper that any specific category on security is provided or enhanced based on the actual threat and not on somebody’s demand. There is a Protection Review Group committee that seeks key information from the ground, intelligence wing of the state as well as the Centre before arriving at any decision to provide security based on different categories, it was told.Y+ category security cover includes eight to 11 personnel, including a couple of commandos and also two personal security officers.
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