After Rahul’s Cambodia Tour, SPG To Accompany Gandhis During Foreign Visits: Sources

In a major political development, the central government has revised Special Protection Group (SPG) rules. The SPG which provides protection to the protectee will now accompany them at all times even when they travel abroad. The change in procedure comes at a time when questions are being raised over Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's reported trip to Cambodia.

The family will lose its SPG protection or even be prohibited from travelling abroad in case they did not comply with the new guidelines, according to a media report. Following the new guidelines, the protectee will now be required to submit every minute detail of their travel plans.

In a move that raised many eyebrows, former Congress president Rahul Gandhi on Saturday left India for a visit abroad. According to reports, Rahul Gandhi was visiting Combodia to take part in a mediation camp. Earlier, Gandhi was reported to have taken a flight from Delhi to Bangkok. Later reports added that Gandhi's ultimate destination was Combodia. But there were no confirmed reports on Rahul Gandhi’s actual destination.

The Special Protection Group is an elite unit of security personnel drawn from the CRPF, ITBP and the CISF. At present, the SPG cover has been deployed for Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Congress interim chief Sonia Gandhi and her children Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi. On basis of the annual review, the SPG security is deputed considering the threat level. Prior to the development, Manmohan Singh's daughters had already renounced their SPG cover. So had former prime minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's foster daughter.