The Special Protection Group (SPG) protection given to former prime minister Manmohan Singh has been withdrawn following a review by multiple security agencies but he will continue to get Z plus security, officials said on Monday.

The former prime minister’s Z plus security cover – one of the highest – will be given by one of the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPFs), preferably the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), they said.

The government’s decision had been conveyed to Singh, who was India’s prime minister from 2004 and 2014, and the SPG contingent will be withdrawn from his New Delhi residence after one of the CAPFs takes over the responsibility, a home ministry official said.
“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 SPG security, 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, officials said.