| Special Protection Group Viśeṣa Surakṣā Dala | |
|---|---|
 Emblem of the Special Protection Group | |
 Flag of the Special Protection Group | |
| Abbreviation | SPG |
| Motto | Śauryam Samarpaṇam Surakṣaṇam Bravery, Dedication, Security |
| Agency overview | |
| Formed | 8 April 1985; 40 years ago (1985-04-08) |
| Employees | 3,000 active personnel[1] |
| Annual budget | ₹489 crore (US$58 million)(2025–26)[2] |
| Jurisdictional structure | |
| Operations jurisdiction | India (and abroad) |
| Governing body | Cabinet Secretariat |
| Constituting instrument | |
| Operational structure | |
| Headquarters | New Delhi |
| Agency executives |
|
| Facilities | |
| Prime Minister's Vehicles |
|
| Website | |
| spg.nic.in | |
TheSpecial Protection Group (SPG) is an agency under theCabinet Secretariat of theGovernment of India, whose sole responsibility is protecting thePrime Minister of India and, in some cases, their family. It was formed in 1988 by an Act of theParliament of India.[4][5] The agency protects the Prime Minister at all times, both in India and abroad, as well as the Prime Minister's immediate family members.[6][7] Family members, however, may decline security.
Previously, the SPG's mandate included protecting the prime minister's "parents, wife [sic] and children" resident anywhere in India during their term of office and for five years after leaving office. However, theSpecial Protection Group (Amendment) Act, 2019 reduced such mandate.[8] Presently, Prime MinisterNarendra Modi is the only SPGprotectee.
Before 1981, the security of the prime minister at their official residence was the responsibility of the Special Security District of theDelhi Police, overseen by an officer of the rank ofDeputy Commissioner of Police (DCP). This model was adopted from the United Kingdom, where theprime minister of the United Kingdom is protected by London'sMetropolitan Police Service. In October 1981, aSpecial Task Force (STF) was established by theIntelligence Bureau (IB) to provide transportation security and road escorts for the Prime Minister during travels in and out ofNew Delhi.
After theassassination of Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by two of her Delhi Police security personnel in October 1984, a review was undertaken by a Committee of Secretaries of theMinistry of Home Affairs. Given the breach, it was decided to entrust security of the Prime Minister to an exclusive unit under direct control of the STF to provide the Prime Minister with proximate security at all times. These decisions were initially taken as short-term measures.
On 18 February 1985, the Ministry of Home Affairs set up theBirbal Nath Committee to examine the issue and submit recommendations to the government for prime ministerial security. In March 1985, the Committee submitted its recommendation for the raising of an independent agency for prime ministerial protection, known as the Special Protection Unit (SPU). On 30 March 1985, thePresident of India, by executive order, created 819 posts for the unit within theCabinet Secretariat. The unit was renamed toSpecial Protection Group, led by a Director who would be anIndian Police Service officer with the rank ofInspector General of Police.
S. Subramaniam, then the Joint Director (VIP Security) in the Intelligence Bureau, assumed office as the first Director of the SPG.[9] Initially, the establishment of the SPG necessitated a new distribution of responsibility to various agencies concerned with the security of the Prime Minister. With 819 posts, the new agency lacked the manpower to provide complete protection to the Prime Minister's person, office, residence and dependents, and remained dependent on the Delhi Police andstate police units for logistics and transportation. TheBlue Book, an existing manual for the protection of the Prime Minister, was amended to incorporate new proximate security protocols.
Under the new arrangements, on domestic visits, the Intelligence Bureau and concerned State Police were responsible for coordination, collection and dissemination of intelligence affecting the Prime Minister's security. State Police and the SPG would then provide physical security arrangements for the Prime Minister in two layers. The SPG operated under the authority of its constituting executive order for three years without legislation, from April 1985 to June 1988. That year, theRajiv Gandhi Government passed the Special Protection Group Act to codify the order's provisions.
At the time, the Act only permitted security for the Prime Minister and his immediate relatives. When Rajiv Gandhi left office in 1989, he ceased to receive SPG protection asLeader of the Opposition. This occurred despite the significant threat to his life following his government's military intervention in theSri Lankan Civil War. In May 1991, Rajiv Gandhi was assassinated at a political rally inTamil Nadu by asuicide bomber of theLiberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam, a Sri Lankan organisation. After his assassination, theSPG Act was amended to provide SPG security to former Prime Ministers and their immediate families for a period of ten years after leaving office.[5] Prior to the end of this period, a security review would be conducted by the IB to determine a protectee's current threat and the need for extensions (which would last five years). For this reason, Gandhi's widow,Sonia Gandhi, and her children,Rahul Gandhi andPriyanka Gandhi received SPG protection for 28 years (until 2019) owing to their political activity in theIndian National Congress.
On 27 November 2019, theParliament of India passed theSpecial Protection Group (Amendment Act), 2019 which limited SPG protection only to the PM and his immediate family members residing with him at his official residence. Under the amended legislation, former Prime Ministers are eligible for an extension of their protection for up to five years after leaving office, subject to a threat assessment by the Intelligence Bureau.[10] The bill was opposed by theIndian National Congress, fearing that theGandhi Family would face a greater risk of violence without SPG protection. After its passage, these individuals, along with former prime ministerManmohan Singh, Heeraben Modi andJashodaben Modi, the mother and estranged wife, respectively, of incumbent Prime MinisterNarendra Modi, lost SPG protection. They were instead accorded different levels of security ranging from Z+ to Y by the Ministry of Home Affairs. The bill reduced the SPG's legal protectees to Modi, who lives alone at his official residence.
The Director is assisted by number of Deputy Directors, Assistant Directors, Joint Assistant Directors.[4][11] The SPG is divided broadly into the following four categories:
The "general superintendence, direction and control" of the SPG is exercised by the Government of India.[4] The head of the force, the Director, formally serves as the Secretary (Security) in theCabinet Secretariat and is responsible for "the command and supervision" of the force.[4] The director of the SPG since its inception has been an officer of theIndian Police Service (IPS) and, today, holds the rank of Director General of Police.[11]
The SPG does not directly recruit personnel. Recruits are instead drawn from enlisted ranks of theCentral Armed Police Forces andRailway Protection Force. Personnel from these services may apply for deputation to the SPG and undergo rigorous physical and psychological assessments as well as enhanced security screening. Deputation to the SPG usually lasts five years, but may be extended at the Director's discretion. Officers of the SPG, responsible for leadership and coordination, are drawn from the IPS.
| Pay Level | Ranks in SPG | Police equivalent rank |
|---|---|---|
| Level 16 | Director, SPG | Director General of Police |
| Level 15 | Additional Director General (ADG) | Additional Director General of Police (ADGP) |
| Level 14 | Inspector General (IG) | Inspector General of Police (IGP) |
| Level 13A | Deputy Inspector General (DIG) | Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) |
| Level 13 | Assistant Inspector General (AIG) | Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) |
| Level 12 | Superintendent of Police (SP) | |
| Level 11 | Senior Security Officer (SSO) | Addl Superintendent of Police (Addl SP) |
| Level 10 | Deputy Superintendent of Police (DySP) | |
| Level 7 | Security Officer-I (SO-I) | Inspector (PI) |
| Level 6 | Security Officer-II (SO-II) | Sub-inspector (SI) |
| Level 5 | Junior Security Officer (JSO) | Assistant Sub-inspector of Police (ASI) |
| Level 4 | Senior Security Assistant (SSA) | Head constable (HC) |
| Level 3 | Security Assistant (SA) | Constable |
Narendra Modi, the incumbent Prime Minister of India, is currently the only person under SPG protection. Sonia Gandhi and her children, Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi were granted SPG protection for 28 years from 1991 to 2019. Two of their family members, then Prime MinisterIndira Gandhi and then former prime minister Rajiv Gandhi, were assassinated in 1984 and 1991, respectively, with the Government of India assessing a continued threat to their safety. On 8 November 2019, the Government of India withdrew their SPG security details and accorded them withZ+ Security. This decision followed the Government's withdrawal of an SPG detail for Modi's predecessor,Manmohan Singh.
Additionally, under terms of theSpecial Protection Group (Amendment) Act, 2019, SPG security details for Modi's estranged wife,Jashodaben, and mother, Heeraben, were withdrawn that same year. The Act amended the SPG's legal mandate to protect the incumbent Prime Minister's "parents, wife and children" to "immediate family members residing (with the Prime Minister) at his official residence."[12]
SPG protectees, by law, are exempt from personal security screening at allairports in India and may access VIP lounges at airports operated by theAirports Authority of India. Additionally, they are exempt from security screening when entering certain official buildings, including thePrime Minister's Office and residence.
| Name | Country of origin | Type | Users |
|---|---|---|---|
| Glock 17 |  Austria | Semi-automatic pistol | Uniformed officers |
| Glock 19 | |||
| Five-seveN |  Belgium | Special Intervention Unit (SIU) and uniformed officers[13][14] | |
| FN P90 | Submachine gun | Uniformed officers | |
| Modern Sub Machine Carbine |  India | Selected to be used by the SPG after trials in 2019 | |
| FN HerstalF2000 | Belgium | Assault rifle | Special Intervention Unit (SIU)[13] |
| FN SCAR |
The Prime Minister's motorcade comprises a fleet of vehicles, the core of which consists of at least twoMercedes-Maybach S650 guards/Range Rovers, twelveToyota Fortuners and aMercedes-Benz Sprinter ambulance. AToyota Fortuner Electronic Countermeasures car also accompanies the convoy, besides many more escort vehicles.
The customised armoured vehicle has VR10 level of protection.
For official movement, theIndian flag is fender-mounted on the driver's side of the vehicles, and if taken abroad, the flag of the foreign country is fender-mounted on the passenger's side.
These armoured variants of the standard wheelbase 2016Range Rover Autobiography SUV are used as transportation of the Prime Minister. If not being used by the Prime Minister themselves, they are used to transport members of the Prime Minister's immediate family accompanying them as part of the motorcade. TheseSUVs are armoured byLand Rover's Special Vehicle Operations facility inCoventry,England, and are certified with VR8 in the BRV 2009 ballistics protection ratings. They can withstand some of the most damaging and targeted of threats, including penetration by7.62mm high velocity armour piercingincendiary bullets, they can protect occupants against up to 15 kg lateralTrinitrotoluene (TNT) blasts and defend against DM51grenade explosions from both beneath the floor and above the sunroof. Run-flat tyres allow the vehicle to be driven even if the tyres are deflated. The chassis is reinforced with super-high-strength steel, and the standard glass has been replaced by multi-laminated armoured privacy glass of optical quality. The suspension is upgraded as compared to the standard Range Rover, while an anti-tamper exhaust, self-sealing fuel tank, auxiliary back-up battery and split-charging battery system provide added protection and security.
For official movement, the Indian flag is fender-mounted on the driver's side of the vehicles, and if taken abroad, the flag of the foreign country is fender-mounted on the passenger's side.
These SUVs carry the SPG Special Agents and Uniformed Officers assigned to the Prime Ministerial Security Detail. 8 Fortuners accompany the motorcade at all times. The protection levels on the Toyota SUVs are undisclosed.
These are armoured tactical medical support vehicles to the Prime Minister, at least two of which are always spotted to the rear of the motorcade. They carry at least a litre of the prime minister's blood type, for emergency transfusions.
This vehicle is used to counter guided attacks, such asIEDs,Rocket Propelled Grenades, andAnti-Tank Guided Missiles. The antennas mounted on the roof are used in barrage jamming applications and for scouting purposes, the primary method used to counter IED threats. The antenna configuration can be changed according to threat level, for instance, taller antennas are used to increase the jamming protection distance, or change jamming frequency ranges. There are two dome-shaped EW Sensors. The EW sensors are millimetre-wave radars used to detect the launch of an RPG (Rocket Propelled Grenades) or laser range finder illumination and launch of an Anti-Tank Guided Missile (ATGM).
Members of the SPG are barred by the SPG Act from contact with the media or from publishing or collaborating in the publication of "any book, letter or other document" related to their work, including upon retirement from Government Service.[4] The SPG and its personnel are exempt from any information disclosure requests under theRight to Information Act, 2005.
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