The issue of ‘unauthorised presence of private security guards’ that created a flutter hours before arrival of Prime Minister Narendra Modi at the venue of the Statue of Equality for its inauguration three days ago was being put to rest as nothing suspicious was found against them.
While some preferred to describe it as slip up in security arrangements, internal inquiries conducted by police officials indicated it was an oversight. No police officer went on record about the instance but conceded during off the record conversation about the presence of private security guards.
The four private security guards were ex-servicemen from outside the State and had no criminal record or antecedents, a Telangana police officer clarified unwilling to be named. They had no links with any outfits agitating against any government policy either.
They had licences for short weapons. “Ex-servicemen are engaged as security guards or bodyguards by security agencies and private persons. An ex-serviceman gets a higher salary than a civilian working as guard if he possess a weapon licence,” the officer explained.
One of the VVIPs asked an acquaintance if any ex-serviceman was available to work as security guard for him. The acquaintance brought the four ex-servicemen to introduce to the VVIP at the statue inauguration site. “They were actually not yet hired by the VVIP when they came there. As part of cross-checking credentials of everyone moving there, these four were also subjected to questioning,” the officer explained. As they were possessing short weapons, the police officials scrutinised their weapon licences and found they were all issued as per the procedure prescribed. Nothing suspicious was found about them, the police officer said.
