No SPG cover for Manmohan Singh

The government has withdrawn the Special Protection Group (SPG) security cover of former Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, officials said on Monday.

According to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), Manmohan Singh will have a Z + security cover after a routine assessment taking the inputs of all the agencies.

"The current security cover review is a periodical and professional exercise based on threat perception that is purely based on professional assessment by security agencies. Manmohan Singh continues to have a Z+ security cover," a senior MHA official said.

The elite SPG force, which guards the country's most protected politicians, will now be tasked with guarding only four people -- Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress interim President Sonia Gandhi and her children Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra. IANS