Govt withdraws former PM Manmohan Singh's SPG protection

New Delhi: The government has withdrawn the SPG cover given to former prime minister Manmohan Singh following a review by multiple security agencies, officials said on Monday.

Singh, who was India's prime minister from 2004 and 2014, will continue to enjoy Z plus security cover -- one of the highest -- to be given by one of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), preferably by the CRPF, they said.

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"The current security cover review is a periodical and professional exercise based on threat perception that is purely based on professional assessment by security agencies. Dr. Manmohan Singh continues to have Z+ security cover," a home ministry spokesperson said.

The decision to withdraw the security provided by the Special Protection Group (SPG), the country's highest grade of protection, was taken after a three-month review involving the Cabinet Secretariat and the Ministry of Home Affairs with inputs from various intelligence agencies.

With the removal of SPG cover from Singh, the top notch security cover will now be given by the SPG only to Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the Gandhis -- Sonia, Rahul and Priyanka.

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(PTI)