The Modi government has withdrawn special security cover to four former chief ministers of Jammu and Kashmir in what one of the chief ministers saw as a response to their "increased political activities".  The decision to withdraw their Special Security Group (SSG) protection of National Conference's Farooq Abdullah, his son and party vice president Omar Abdullah, PDP's Mehbooba Mufti and Congress leader Ghulam Nabi Azad was taken after a security review meeting by the government, NDTV said quoting official sources.

The SSG is a specialised security unit in Jammu and Kashmir created to protect chief ministers and former chief ministers in the former state which is now a union territory. 

"The decision is clearly political and a response to our increased political activities," said Omar Abdullah, adding that he was not informed about the development. "But none of this will silence us. The timing is important. All ex-CMs have become more vocal and taking on government," he was quoted as saying.

"No one had the courtesy to inform us about it," Abdullah said.

Mehbooba Mufti also said she was not informed about the withdrawal of special security.

"I have not been informed about it formally. I can't say why they are doing it," the PDP leader said.

"You know the kind of situation we are living in. Yesterday, Prime Minister Narendra Modi's cavalcade was stopped in Punjab and how it was projected. Here in Kashmir they are withdrawing our security," she said.

All the four former chief ministers will now be protected by the security wing of J&K Police based on their security categorisation and threat assessment.

 Farooq Abdullah and Ghulam Nabi Azad are also protected by National Security Guards (NSG), the protection provided by the central government based on threat assessment of two former chief ministers, NDTV said. 

(SAM)