PM’s wife is first SPG protectee to have women commandos

Sources confirmed this was the first time that the SPG had engaged women commandos for a woman protectee. A senior official said the SPG planned to deploy women commandos for Priyanka Vadra next. Officials declined to say whether women commados would be included in Sonia Gandhi’s security cordon as well.

The 3,000-strong SPG,which was raised after the assassination of Indira Gandhi,is mandated to secure serving and former prime ministers and members of their immediate families. The women commandos,all under the age of 30,have been drawn from the Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) and trained by the SPG.

The National Security Guard (NSG),which provides security to 16 VVIPs including the BJP’s prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi,had offered to deploy women commandos to secure former UP chief minister Mayawati and Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa. The two,however,did not agree.