Mukul Roy writes to Centre to take back ‘Z’ category security cover

Kolkata: Mukul Roy who left the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Friday to rejoin the Trinamool Congress has written to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) requesting to withdraw his ‘Z’ category Central security cover, sources told news agency ANI. MHA is yet to respond to Roy’s request.

Roy, who served as the BJP national vice-president before his departure, was provided with ‘Z' category security cover just ahead of the assembly elections in Bengal. As many as 22 CRPF personnel were deployed to guard him. In addition to that, around 4-5 National Security Guard (NSG) commandos, who specialise in providing securities to high-profile individuals in India, were also deployed.

Roy’s security detail has garnered just as much attention as his political career. In 2017, he returned the ‘Z’ category security provided to him by the TMC-led West Bengal state government. Roy, then a TMC parliamentarian, said that after he came to know that he had been removed from the post of party (TMC) vice-president, he asked the state to take back the high-profile security cover.

After joining the BJP in November of 2017 he was provided with ‘Y’ category security. He was assigned two personal security officers (PSOs), a static guard at his residence, and a total of 11 personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).

The 67-year-old politician, one of the founders of TMC, had switched allegiance to the BJP after being with his erstwhile party for over 19 years. Roy was initially inducted as a member of the BJP national executive committee and is credited with engineering many high profile defections from the TMC. This Friday marked Roy’s homecoming as both he and his son in the presence of chief minister Mamata Banerjee returned to their old bastion.

After joining the BJP in November of 2017 he was provided with ‘Y’ category security. He was assigned two personal security officers (PSOs), a static guard at his residence, and a total of 11 personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF).