The Haryana Police has come up with a new security policy according to which the rich must pay for police protection. According to the latest regulations, only those earning over Rs 3 lakh a month or owning assets worth more than Rs 3 crore, apart from residences, will be considered for police protection. It does not mean others can’t seek police protection, as they may still opt to pay for these services voluntarily.
The regulations stipulate that security for eligible applicants shall be provided on a payment basis.
According to police sources, in case a person is unwilling to pay, but intelligence reports indicate a grave and high threat to their life, security may be provided free of charge for a limited period of three months, subject to further review.
Besides, if a police vehicle is provided, the protectee must also cover the operational and maintenance costs along with the driver’s salary. In addition to these costs, a monthly overhead charge of Rs 12,000 per security personnel will be levied to cover administrative and logistical expenses. To secure these payments, applicants have to deposit an amount equivalent to three months’ cost in advance, plus a bank guarantee for another three months.
The assessment of financial capacity will be made by the office of the ADGP CID, Police Commissioner, or Superintendent of Police (SP) after reviewing documents like income tax returns, asset statements, balance sheets, and reports from various government and revenue authorities. The cost of manpower will be calculated in accordance with guidelines issued by the home department.
It came to light during the hearing of a petition filed by senior Indian National Lok Dal (INLD) leader Abhay Chautala seeking a Z-plus security cover for himself and his family, in response to which SP (security-1, CID, Haryana) Lokender Singh placed these criteria before the Punjab and Haryana High Court.
The Haryana Police also informed the High Court that these regulations were framed on Aug 12, 2024, under the Haryana Police Act 2007 following a court order in the case of Rajan Kapur versus State of Haryana.
The new security policy is categorized into three forms: positional security for official office holders, threat-based security based on assessed danger, and payment-based security where costs are recovered from the individual.
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