Pune: Shortage of manpower in police force but Parth Pawar gets Y-plus security

Pune: Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar, along with his two sons, is campaigning for his wife and the Baramati Lok Sabha candidate, Sunetra Pawar. The State Government has provided the Y-plus level security to his son Parth Pawar. It appears to be a clear case of favouritism even as there is a manpower crunch in the police department.

Huge manpower is deployed by the police department during the Lok Sabha elections. Therefore, Commissioner of Police Amitesh Kumar ordered the VIP security to be reduced. As a result, 85 ‘dignitaries’ were stripped of the security cover in the city. In this backdrop, the State Government’s move to provide the Y-plus security to Parth Pawar has triggered a debate.

NCP (SP) MP Supriya Sule recently demanded security for MLA Rohit Pawar and Yugendra Pawar. However, Parth Pawar has been directly provided the special security cover. This has given rise to talks.

Ajit Pawar’s statement

Meanwhile, opposition parties reminded Ajit Pawar of his statement when he was the Leader of Opposition in the Assembly. He had opposed the Y-plus security to the Shiv Sena (BT) MLAs. Pawar pointed out the high cost of providing the Y plus security to a person, which was Rs 20 lakh. However, he joined the ruling alliance and got the same security cover for his son.

The Y-plus security

This security cover is provided to ministers, political leaders and other VIP people in the State. This is the third level of security. The Y-plus level consists of one or two commandos plus police personnel. There are around 11 security personnel. Moreover, two personal security officers (PSOs) are also provided.