Suvendu Adhikari, Pawan Singh among BJP leaders granted VIP security

The Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA) has extended security cover to several high-profile politicians and newly inducted BJP leaders, citing intelligence reports about potential threats to their lives.

PAWAN SINGH GETS Y-CATEGORY SECURITY

Bhojpuri singer and actor-turned-politician Pawan Singh was granted Y-category security by the MHA on October 8, 2025, following intelligence inputs indicating possible threats to him. CRPF commandos will provide round-the-clock protection, including five armed static guards at his residence and three Personal Security Officers (PSOs) working in rotational shifts.

Recently, Singh met Union Home Minister Amit Shah, BJP National President JP Nadda, and NDA ally in Bihar, Rashtriya Lok Morcha (RLM) President Upendra Kushwaha, fuelling speculations about a possible political rapprochement ahead of upcoming elections. Singh, previously expelled from the BJP in 2024 for contesting the Karakat Lok Sabha seat as an independent against the NDA nominee, may now be considered for a ticket from the Arrah assembly seat.

OTHER Y-CATEGORY SECURITY RECIPIENTS

Earlier, newly inducted BJP leaders from Punjab, Sushil Kumar Rinku and Sheetal Angural, were granted Y-category security in April 2024 after intelligence inputs highlighted potential threats in the region. Rinku, formerly the sole AAP Lok Sabha MP from Jalandhar, joined the BJP in March 2024, while Angural, an ex-AAP MLA, also shifted allegiance.

Dinesh Lal Yadav ‘Nirahua’, the Bhojpuri actor-turned-politician, received Y+ security in April 2019 soon after joining the BJP ahead of the Lok Sabha elections from Azamgarh.

Mithun Chakraborty, another actor-turned-politician who joined the BJP ahead of the 2021 West Bengal Assembly elections, was provided Y+ security days after his induction.

Y+ SECURITY FOR FORMER JUDGES AND MPS

Former Calcutta High Court Judge Abhijit Gangopadhyay received Y+ category protection in April 2024 after joining the BJP. Gangopadhyay, who won the Tamluk Lok Sabha seat by defeating TMC’s Debangshu Bhattacharya, now enjoys round-the-clock security managed by the CRPF.

Mukul Roy, former TMC MP and founding member, also received Y+ category security immediately after rejoining the BJP in November 2017. His security was later upgraded to Z category in March 2021 due to ongoing threats, before he returned to the TMC in June 2021.

Z-CATEGORY SECURITY FOR SENIOR LEADERS

Former Congress Minister Rana Gurmit Singh Sodhi and ex-SAD leader Manjinder Singh Sirsa, after joining the BJP in December 2021, were granted Z-category security. Sodhi, a former Sports Minister in Punjab, and Sirsa, Delhi’s Industries and Environment Minister, now receive the highest level of protection outside special circumstances.

Suvendu Adhikari, former TMC leader instrumental in the Nandigram movement, also receives Z-category security nationwide following an Intelligence Bureau report flagging threats to his life. Previously, Adhikari had Z-category security in West Bengal and Y+ security outside the state.

- Ends