Atishi’s security cover to be scaled down to ‘Y’category

 Leader of the Opposition in Delhi Assembly Atishi.
| Photo Credit: PTI

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has instructed the Delhi Police to scale down the armed security cover for former Chief Minister and Leader of the Opposition (LoP) Atishi to ‘Y’ category following a review. The AAP leader was provided ‘Z’ category security after assuming the office as Chief Minister in 2024.

The move came after Delhi Police’s security unit sought MHA’s guidance on the status of Atishi’s security cover. Upon reviewing the threat perception to the Kalkaji MLA, the MHA concluded that there was no significant threat that warranted the continuation of the ‘Z’ category security cover, said an official.

The security unit of the Delhi Police had earlier flagged the security status of AAP national convener Arvind Kejriwal, who is currently provided with the ‘Z-plus’ category.

Security for politicians is granted based on the threat assessments conducted by central intelligence and security agencies on MHA’s orders.

“Though the ministry initially advised against making any changes to the security arrangements in place for Mr. Kejriwal and Ms. Atishi, it later instructed the Delhi Police to downgrade Atishi’s cover to the ‘Y’ category,” the official said.

Under the ‘Y’ category security protocol, Ms. Atishi will now be guarded by a team of around 12 personnel, including two commandos from the police. 

This also comes with the repealing of certain privileges, such as the pilot vehicle that accompanied Ms. Atishi’s convoy when she briefly held the CM post.