Arnab Goswami to get security cover over threat from Pak-based terror groups | Latest News India - Hindustan Times
close_game
close_game

Arnab Goswami to get security cover over threat from Pak-based terror groups

Hindustan Times | By, New Delhi
Oct 16, 2016 06:16 PM IST

Arnab Goswami, the editor-in-chief of news channel Times Now, will be provided ‘Y’ category security cover by the government over a threat from “Pakistan-based terrorist groups”.

Arnab Goswami, the editor-in-chief of news channel Times Now, will be provided ‘Y’ category security cover by the government over a threat from “Pakistan-based terrorist groups”.

Arnab Goswami, the editor-in-chief of news channel Times Now, will be given ‘Y’ category security cover by the government.(Facebook)
Arnab Goswami, the editor-in-chief of news channel Times Now, will be given ‘Y’ category security cover by the government.(Facebook)

Under the ‘Y’ category cover, Goswami will get round-the-clock protection from around 20 guards, including two personal security officers for close proximity security.

Hindustan Times - your fastest source for breaking news! Read now.

Goswami was not available for comment despite phone calls and messages from HT.

There are two types of protection provided by the government — positional and threat-based.

Under positional security, a dignitary is given security cover on the basis of position he or she holds — such as cabinet ministers and Supreme Court judges.

In the second category, a person is provided on the basis of a threat-perception analysis by the Intelligence Bureau (IB).

“Goswami is being given security on the basis of a threat-perception analysis by the IB. We will go by the IB recommendation. He faces threats from Pakistan-based terrorist groups due to his comments against them on Times Now,” said a home ministry official, who spoke on the condition of anonymity as he is not authorised to speak to the media.

The home ministry is likely to ask the Maharashtra police to handle Goswami’s security as he is based in Mumbai.

The government provides security under four categories — ‘Z Plus’ (around 40 guards with two escort vehicles), ‘Z’ (around 30 guards with one escort vehicle), ‘Y’ (around 20 guards) and ‘X’ (four guards).

The Centre has around 450 protectees under these categories. Out of them, around 275 people have been provided threat-based security cover. The state governments also have their own list of protectees.

Goswami is not the first journalist to get security cover from the Centre. Before him, journalists such as Zee News’s Sudhir Chaudhary (’X’ category), Samachar Plus’s Umesh Kumar (’Y’ category) and Ashwini Kumar Chopra (’Z Plus’ category) have been provided security by the government.

Chopra, who runs Hindi daily Punjab Kesari in Delhi and is a BJP Lok Sabha member, the security cover was provided around three decades ago following the killings of his father and grandfather by militants in Punjab.

Unveiling Elections 2024: The Big Picture', a fresh segment in HT's talk show 'The Interview with Kumkum Chadha', where leaders across the political spectrum discuss the upcoming general elections. Watch now!

Get Current Updates on India News, Election 2024, Mukhtar Ansari Death News Live, Bihar Board 10th Result 2024 Live along with Latest News and Top Headlines from India and around the world.
SHARE THIS ARTICLE ON
Share this article
  • ABOUT THE AUTHOR
    author-default-90x90

    Rajesh Ahuja covers internal security and also follows investigation agencies such as the CBI and the Enforcement Directorate.

SHARE
Story Saved
Live Score
OPEN APP
Saved Articles
Following
My Reads
Sign out
New Delhi 0C
Friday, March 29, 2024
Start 14 Days Free Trial Subscribe Now
Follow Us On