Agartala, Aug 1 (IANS): The opposition Congress in Tripura on Monday demanded the withdrawal of "Z Plus" security cover of former Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, saying he is "falsely enjoying the security status".
A senior police officer in the Tripura police headquarters said the police would soon review the security cover of Deb, who resigned from the top post on May 14.
The former Chief Minister, who enjoyed the "Z Plus" category security cover, was accorded the same security cover even after he resigned, leading to the criticism in the opposition circles.
Congress leader and party's lone MLA Sudip Roy Barman on Monday in a letter to the Director General of police Amitabh Ranjan demanded withdrawal of the "Z Plus" category security cover of Deb.
He said that in the year 2017, then BJP state president Biplab Kumar Deb had stage-managed a so-called attack on him to have security cover from union home ministry which granted him only "Y" category of security cover.
"But ever since the ouster of Deb from the post of Chief Minister, he kept on claiming his entitlement to 'Z Plus' security through an act of gross falsification to gain tightest possible security which also allows him to have personal security officers accompany him during his visits both within the state as well as outside the state."
Roy Barman said that the number of government vehicles along with security is regularly being misused leading to the government incurring heavy expenses, and squandering of public money on the false security claim of Deb.
Alleging "providing undue privileges to Deb" after his resignation as Chief Minister, the Congress legislator has stated that this is "misuse of public money and administrative scope".
Roy Barman, who was the Health and Information Technology Minister in the Deb government but was sacked following differences with Deb in May 2019, said the "former Chief Minister illegally enjoys various government facilities".
Roy Barman following the open revolt against Deb, quit the BJP earlier this year and joined Congress before being elected in the June 23 by-election from the Agartala Assembly seat 6 times in a row.