Activists question providing security to Thackeray cousins at state expense
23 Feb, 2014Application filed under the Right to Information (RTI) Act has revealed that many leaders of Maharashtra have been provided round the clock security at state expense. Activists have questioned the rationale of providing a large number of policemen to some of the leaders. Reply to RTI application filed by Chetan Kothari has revealed that:
· Uddhav Thackeray, leader of Shiv Sena has a Z category security cover comprising of at least 14 security personnel who guard him and his family. At Uddhav Thackeray's Matoshree residence, there are three police officers and nine police constables. The protection and security department of the police deploys four constables in day and four at night shifts each. The Shiv Sena had been involved in violent agitations against toll in Kolhapur and on the Pune-Satara road in recent past.
· Raj Thackeray, leader of MNS and a cousin of Udhav, has as many as 13 policemen guarding him round the clock in different shifts. His security has been upgraded to Z category from Y in December 2013. He has been provided with with one personal security guard, three escort constables, one watcher and eight other constables. Recently, he was in news for inciting his workers not to pay toll tax. The party workers vandalised the booths and damaged the public property.
The security cover provided to the Congress leader Kripashankar Singh was withdrawn after a criminal case was registered against him. Former IPS officer turned activist Y P Singh argued that there should be action against the Thackeray cousins who enjoy 24x7 security cover in spite of their giving a tough time to police. Terming it as discriminatory, Singh pointed that it sets a bad precedent.