Surrendered ultras in PM's security

NEW DELHI:  Rubbishing a television channel's report that surrendered militants were recruited into the Prime Minister's security, the Government on Thursday said there was no breach of security and wondered why a two-year old case was brought up on the evening of Independence Day when fool-proof arrangements had been made.

Responding to concerns voiced by Samajwadi Party and BJP members during the Zero Hour, Home Minister Shivraj Patil said the news channel had referred to an incident of November 27, 2004, "misleading" everyone.

The channel had reported that three surrendered militants from Jammu and Kashmir had been inducted in CRPF and later deployed for PM's security posing grave security threat.

Without taking names, Patil said one of them was recruited by CRPF in 1988 and the second was inducted in 1998 as part of a policy that was evolved by the then Government for recruiting into the police those militants who have surrendered.

"We are not finding fault with that policy, we are continuing with that policy," he said. He added that while two were from Jammu and Kashmir, one was from Punjab.

He said the person recruited in 1998 said that he had surrendered but later, it was found that he was not a surrendered militant. An inquiry was then held and he was found guilty and punished.

Patil explained that while the Special Protection Group was responsible for the inner cordon of PM's security, the Special Duty Group that included CRPF personnel looked after the outer cordon. Security for the area around PM's official residence was taken care of by the Delhi Police.