SSLove and Deception Ch5 Pg26 Up06/12,IMP Notepg28 - Page 20

Originally posted by: sashashyam

Well, Tina (and Sanchayita too),

I am duly flattered at being treated as a court of last resort, and of course I will help as much as I can. But first, Sanchayita, have you finished with your exams, or are you taking a well-deserved break from your studies (that sounds better than Are you goofing off? , doesn't it?) ?

Now for the matter at hand. As I had told Tani earlier, the PM's residence is very tightly guarded, just like the White House in Washington DC. There is no point comparing the level of security required with that in, say, New Zealand or Iceland; it is all a matter of threat perceptions.

The US Secret Service will not let any unauthorised person get anywhere near the US President, wherever he might be, and they are quite ruthless about it. I was in charge of the press during President Jimmy Carter's visit to India in 1978, and it was something to see. But even they could not prevent a young man, John Hinckley, from shooting and nearly killing President Reagan in March 1981 in downtown Washington DC.

In India, the security of the PM and his family is the sole responsibility of the SPG (the Special Protection Group). which has been modelled after the US Secret Service. I am adding some info about the SPG at the end of this message. The SPG will not allow any other police officers into their area of operations, and their responsibility for the PM's safety is total, and so their control has also to be total.

When Mrs, Indira Gandhi was assassinated in 1984, it was by an insider, one of the security guards. The SPG did not exist then, it was formed and inducted only in 1985.. When Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated by in 1991 by a LTTE human bomb, it was precisely because he had refused SPG protection (he was not the PM then).

So, I am not saying that the ETF could not have been called in when the PM's wife was found dead. The SPG handles both intelligence and operations, but not regular police investigations of a crime,even if it occurs in the PM's residence. So that is all right.

It is of course easier, even today, for the PM's Chief Security Officer to attack him at close quarters than for an outsider, who would find getting access to the private quarters impossible.

As for Arjun and Rathore slapping the supposed culprit around, it is a reaction of sheer frustration, and it is not really any third degree. It is also useless. No man who is clever enough - assuming that he was a sleeper agent who had been building up this level of trust for several years - would break down and confess just because he was slapped a few times. Such culprits would normally be taken over by the intelligence agencies for sophisticated interrogation, using psychological techniques.

There is always not just a doctor but also a fully equipped ambulance on call at the PM's residence. Once he was discovered by the ETF (which itself is odd, for the SPG would have a man posted outside the PM's study) with multiple stab wounds, the doctor on duty and the SPG would have taken over and they would have put him in the ambulance, done the pereliminary treatment in the ambulance, and rushed him to the nearest good hospital. The hospital would have been alerted to make the necessary emergency arrangements, including the OT

There would be NO question of the ETF taking him anywhere, or of Shree providing first aid either,

The Indian Army has nothing to do with any of this, unless a Military hospital happens to be the nearest one.

Lastly, no one can be made the PM's CSO without being from the SPG, and also passing the most thorough background checks, So someone like this Mr. Karti, who has no clear past, would never have risen to this position. In fact, he would not have been recruited to the SPG either, as all its members are selected only from the state and central police forces after careful vetting. So you see, Tina, this is a non-starter.

But please don't fret. Tina. None of this matters to your story, which is meant to entertain, and you can, if you like, go easy on the details. However, the next time, I would recommend some background research, which is not difficult to do, and getting your facts right will add to the appeal of your already very appealing stories. Suppose you wrote something about the US President. You would be expected to know the basics about the White House, the SS and the Oval Office, would you not? It will be fun to dig out all this stuff before you start your story, believe me!

Shyamala Aunty

NOTE ON THE SPECIAL PROTECTION GROUP

The Special Protection Group (SPG) is the executive protection agency of the Government of India. It is responsible for the protection of the Prime Minister of India, some other top officials, and their immediate families. The force was established in 1985 after the assassination of Indira Gandhi. It is one of the eight Central Armed Police Forces. The bulk of the personnel were initially drawn from Indian Border Security Force.

The work of the Special Protection Group became more organised after the assassination of Rajiv Gandhi on May 21, 1991, (who was, at that time, not under SPG cover since his term as Prime Minister had ended). After the Rajiv Gandhi assassination, there have been no successful attempts to attack the Prime Minister or the Prime Minister's family members.

The Special Protection Group has about 3,000 personnel. Recruits are drawn from the various Indian police forces, who undergo training similar to that conducted by the United States Secret Service. The officer cadre is made up of officers drawn from the various state and central cadres.

The Special Protection Group provides proximate security to protectees, including protection provided from close quarters, journey on foot, road, rail, aircraft, watercraft or any other means of transport, and includes places of functions, engagements, residence, etc. They comprise ring round teams, isolation cordons, the sterile zone, and the rostrum and access control to the person or members of his immediate family.

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