The information was provided by protection and security branches I, II and IV of the Mumbai police. While security branch II provided guards to the Additional Chief Secretary (Home), it was security branch I that provided security to others.
After elected representatives, builders enjoy maximum police security. They are followed by businessmen, corporate honchos and court witnesses, according to an RTI reply from the Mumbai police.
These details have been received in a reply to an RTI application filed by RTI activist Chetan Kothari with the security and protection branch of the Mumbai police. In his application, the applicant sought details of people provided security, including elected representatives, politicians, film stars, builders, witnesses and businessmen.
The information was provided by protection and security branches I, II and IV of the Mumbai police. While security branch II provided guards to the Additional Chief Secretary (Home), it was security branch I that provided security to others.
According to details provided by the security and protection branch I, elected representatives, including former and serving MPs, MLAs and MLCs, were provided with maximum security with 156 guards, of whom 142 guards protect serving elected representatives.
While almost all of the 38 MLAs who were provided police protection got two guards on an average, five MLAs got four guards each. They include Amin Patel from Congress, Ashish Shelar, Ram Kadam and Raj K Purohit from BJP, and Waris Pathan from All India Majlis-E-Ittehadul Muslimeen.
Thirteen MLCs and as many MPs were provided security by a total of 30 guards. While all MPs were provided with two guards each, the only MLCs to have more than two guards were Bhai Jagtap from Congress and Kiran Pavaskar from Nationalist Congress Party. Four guards each were assigned on protection duty from security branch 1 for them.
Builders were the next group of people provided with the most number of guards, at 33 guards. That was followed by businessmen, corporates and managing directors of companies at 27 guards, and court and police witnesses at 26 guards.
Politicians and film stars were provided with 15 and 11 guards respectively. Only one guard was provided for 'RTI activists and others' category. Doctors and non-elected leaders of political parties were not provided any guards, the RTI reply states.
The response also stated that most of the guards were provided free of cost as per security provisions.
While security branch IV itself provided 143 personnel to secure VVIPs and VIPs, its reply stated that the total manpower that was allocated by different branches for securing VVIPs and VIPs stood at 2,621 in 2016. It was 2,926 in 2015, 2,948 in 2014 and 2,702 in 2013.
Security branch IV, however, did not provide details of the people who were provided police protection. "They should give names of all people who are provided with protection so that if there is any discrepancy, we will know.
Some RTI activists who are threatened regularly should get protection," said Kothari.
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