AGARTALA: The Opposition Congress in Tripura on Monday demanded the withdrawal of 'Z Plus' security cover of former Tripura Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb, saying that he is "falsely enjoying the security status".
A senior police officer in the Tripura police headquarters said that the police would soon review the security cover of Deb, who resigned from the top post on May 14.
The former Chief Minister retained the 'Z Plus' category security cover even after he resigned, leading to criticism by the Opposition circles.
Congress leader and the party's lone MLA Sudip Roy Barman on Monday wrote a letter to the Director General of Police Amitabh Ranjan and 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 the 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 that the "former Chief Minister illegally enjoys various government facilities".
Following the open revolt against Deb, Roy Barman quit the BJP earlier this year and joined Congress before being elected in the June 23 bye-election from the Agartala Assembly seat 6 times in a row. (IANS)
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