Hyderabad, March 11: The Delhi police has asked for police “spotters” from 13 states including Andhra Pradesh for the security of VVIPs including MPs from the states who are facing threats from extremists.
The Chief Minister, Mr N. Kiran Kumar Reddy, disclosed this while denying the charges of the Congress MP, Mr G. Vivekananda, and others that their phones were being tapped and inspectors from the Intelligence department were keeping a tab on their activities in New Delhi.
“I would like to emphatically inform that no tapping of phones of MPs or MLAs is being done. Phones of public representative phones are not tapped,” the Chief Minister said. “We don’t do it irrespective of the party and there is nothing to know from them. “There is no need for keeping any watch over their telephones.”
He said that the Delhi police requisites the services of Special Branch staff from different states during every Parliament session and also during significant events like the Republic Day and Independence Day, and during the visit of foreign dignitaries. Their duty is to collect Intelligence information bearing the security of Parliament and the VIPs.
The state government has sent three police “spotters” for the Budget Session of Parliament who report to the deputy commissioner of police, Special Branch, Delhi. “It is absolutely not true to say that this staff was deputed to keep a watch over the MPs,” he explained.
–Agencies