Agartala: Former Minister and newly elected Congress MLA Sudip Roy Barman on Monday drew the attention of newly appointed Director General of Police (DGP), Tripura, Amitabha Ranjan on the “wastage” of public money for providing “undue” security cover to former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb. According to Barman, the kind of security build up provided to Deb is not justified as he now holds the post of a “mere MLA.”
“In Tripura, a bizarre thing has been happening in the name of providing security over the past six years. In 2017, the then BJP State President, Shri Biplab Kumar Deb (later Chief Minister), had stage-managed a so-called attack on him to have security cover from the Union Home Ministry, which granted him only “Y” category — the implications of which you are certainly well aware of,” Barman stated in a letter to the DGP.
Barman added that since the ouster of Deb from the post of chief minister, he and his personal assistants kept on claiming his entitlement to “Z plus” security through an act of gross falsification to gain the tightest possible security, which also allows him to have personal security officers accompany him during his visits both within as well as outside the state.
“The number of government vehicles along with security officers is regularly being misused,” Barman added.
Highlighting the alleged falsehood in security cover, Barman wrote that Deb is a “Y” category protectee but has been enjoying the protection of “Z plus” category security, which is against standard protocol.
“Thus the government has been incurring heavy expenses bordering on squandering public money on the false security claim of Deb stating that his “Z plus” security cover is at the cost of the public exchequer and whenever his security requisitions are made, he is referred to as a “Z plus” protectee whereas he is registered and entitled to “Y” category of security,” the letter went on to state.
Barman further demanded that the additional expenses being incurred by the state government be recovered from Deb as penalty.
Barman requested the DGP to suo-motto register a case against Deb and his private secretary for falsifying the the former CM’s security status and also take necessary action against those involved in entertaining such falsification.
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