In a significant move, the Union government has ordered the complete withdrawal of the National Security Guard (NSG) commandos from providing security to nine ‘high-risk’ VIPs, transferring these duties to the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). The transition, which falls under the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), is expected to be completed within a month, according to official sources.

The CRPF will take over the protection of these ‘Z plus’ category VIPs, which include prominent political figures such as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, former Chief Minister and BSP leader Mayawati, Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, former Deputy Prime Minister L.K. Advani, and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N. Chandrababu Naidu, among others. These individuals have been under the protection of NSG ‘black cat’ commandos for several years.

To accommodate the new responsibility, a fresh CRPF battalion, which was recently withdrawn from Parliament security duties, has been sanctioned for VIP protection. This additional battalion will complement the six existing CRPF VIP security battalions.

The MHA has decided to relieve the NSG from VIP security duties to allow the elite force to focus on its core responsibilities of counter-terrorism and counter-hijack operations. This decision follows years of planning, with officials highlighting the need for the NSG to be available for rapid deployment in the event of simultaneous terror attacks across the country.

Among the nine VIPs, two—Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath—will receive advanced security liaison (ASL) protocol from the CRPF. ASL involves advance reconnaissance of locations to be visited by the VIP to ensure heightened security.

This restructuring of security forces reflects the government’s broader strategy to strengthen the country’s counter-terrorism capabilities by deploying the NSG’s resources in high-risk areas such as the Ram temple in Ayodhya and critical southern assets.