The UP government has decided to provide the highest category security cover, Z-plus, to 10 people, including the ruling Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav and his predecessor Mayawati.
According to sources in the home department, the Z-plus security has also been provided to former chief ministers Rajnath Singh, Kalyan Singh and Ram Naresh Yadav, who is now governor of Madhya Pradesh.
The Z-plus security entails round-the-clock personal security officials, 28 National Security Guard commandos on 24x7 duty, an escort, a pilot and tailing vehicles, Cobra commandos and 12 home guards.
The three judges of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court who delivered the Ayodhya verdict — S.U. Khan, Sudheer Agarwal and Dharamveer Sharma — have also been given Z-category security.
Home department sources said that Z-category security, which includes three security personnel and Cobra and other commandos from the Provincial Armed Constabulary, has been [provided to UP ministers Mohammed Azam Khan, Shivpal Yadav, Union coal minister Sri Prakash Jaiswal, Vishwa Hindu Parishad leader Ashok Singhal, BJP leaders Vinay Katiyar, Lalji Tandon and Dr Murli Manohar Joshi and Congress leader Pramod Tiwari.
Former UP minister and ex-BSP leader Babu Singh Kushwaha, who is presently in jail in the NRHM scam, has been given Y-category security which means one PSO.
SP leader Devendra Agarwal who complained to the Lokayukta against former power minister Ramveer Upadhyaya and was later threatened with dire consequences and Hashim Ansari, who was one of the litigants in the Ayodhya issue, have got X-category security.
X-security cover provides six police constables on duty and, depending on the security risk, commandos can also be provided, officials said.