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Airport frisking:Robert Vadra may lose privilege
NEW DELHI: Sonia Gandhi's controversial son-in-law Rober Vadra may finally lose his exalted exempt-from-frisking-at-airports status.
Aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Monday held a meeting with the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) officials and told them to tone down the existing list of people exempt from security checks at airports. "The minister has asked BCAS to have a list that is purely on the basis of requirement and remove names that enjoyed this privilege for 'ornamental' reasons. The home ministry will do a review. Vadra's name may be struck off this list now," said a senior official.
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security has 30 positions on the exempt list which begins with the President of India and goes upto special protection group protectees. The only individual listed in that list (on number 31) is Robert Vadra, apart from the Dalai Lama.
In fact, Raju had promised a pruned and need-based exempt list on May 30, the day he took over as aviation minister. "Security should be meaningful not ornamental... It is for the home ministry to see the threat perception of individuals... by and large, Indians should go through security checks," he had said on May 30.
The same day (May 30), Priyanka Gandhi had written to special protection group chief, demanding that she her husband and kids be taken off that list. "I would like to bring to your notice that his (Vadra) inclusion on that list came about at the instance of your predecessors in the SPG/Delhi Police and not upon any request by either of us who were informed after the fact. It was done ostensibly to facilitate the coordination of the two separate security agencies at the airport when we travelled together," her letter had said.
Airport frisking: Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra may lose privilege - The Times of India
NEW DELHI: Sonia Gandhi's controversial son-in-law Rober Vadra may finally lose his exalted exempt-from-frisking-at-airports status.
Aviation minister Ashok Gajapathi Raju on Monday held a meeting with the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) officials and told them to tone down the existing list of people exempt from security checks at airports. "The minister has asked BCAS to have a list that is purely on the basis of requirement and remove names that enjoyed this privilege for 'ornamental' reasons. The home ministry will do a review. Vadra's name may be struck off this list now," said a senior official.
The Bureau of Civil Aviation Security has 30 positions on the exempt list which begins with the President of India and goes upto special protection group protectees. The only individual listed in that list (on number 31) is Robert Vadra, apart from the Dalai Lama.
In fact, Raju had promised a pruned and need-based exempt list on May 30, the day he took over as aviation minister. "Security should be meaningful not ornamental... It is for the home ministry to see the threat perception of individuals... by and large, Indians should go through security checks," he had said on May 30.
The same day (May 30), Priyanka Gandhi had written to special protection group chief, demanding that she her husband and kids be taken off that list. "I would like to bring to your notice that his (Vadra) inclusion on that list came about at the instance of your predecessors in the SPG/Delhi Police and not upon any request by either of us who were informed after the fact. It was done ostensibly to facilitate the coordination of the two separate security agencies at the airport when we travelled together," her letter had said.
Airport frisking: Sonia Gandhi's son-in-law Robert Vadra may lose privilege - The Times of India
