Ahead of Budget Session, 140 CISF personnel deployed to strengthen Parliament security

New Delhi: As part of a new security initiative for the Budget Session starting on January 31, a contingent of 140 Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) personnel has been deployed at the Parliament complex, according to official sources. The decision follows a comprehensive security review prompted by a breach on December 13, where individuals entered the Parliament hall, filled with MPs, and discharged colored smoke canisters.

The Union Home Ministry approved the deployment after assessing the security situation. The CISF personnel, including 36 from the fire wing, officially took charge of security duties at the Parliament complex on Monday. In addition to conducting thorough frisking of visitors and their belongings, they will also oversee fire safety measures within the building.

An Assistant Commandant (AC) rank officer of the force will head the CISF unit, sources said. The deployment is currently in the familiarization phase, collaborating with existing security agencies to ensure readiness for the Budget Session beginning on January 31.

The CISF will render access control to the new Parliament building in a airport-security like fashion where body frisking of the persons and their belongings will be done through x-ray machines, hand-held detectors with a provision to even scan shoes, heavy jackets and belts by putting them on a tray and passing them through the x-ray scanner, sources said. The force has requested permanent sanctioning of this 140-personnel unit for ongoing Parliament security.

The current deployment will be integrated into the Government Building Security (GBS) unit of the CISF, responsible for securing various government ministries and the headquarters of investigative agencies like the CBI and the ED.

The CISF, with approximately 1.70 lakh personnel, operates as a central armed police force (CAPF) under the Union Home Ministry, safeguarding 68 civil airports and critical installations in aerospace and nuclear energy domains nationwide.

The comprehensive security cover for both the new and old Parliament complexes, along with allied buildings, will involve elements from the Parliament Security Service (PSS), Delhi Police, and the Parliament Duty Group (PDG) of the CRPF.

The establishment of the CISF GBS in the aftermath of the 2001 terrorist attack on Parliament entrusted the force with the security of central government buildings in the national capital. This includes landmarks such as the North and South Blocks, Cabinet Secretariat, Vigyan Bhawan, UPSC building, and the CGO complex. The GBS charter highlights maintaining high-level security, contingency response, access control, and anti-sabotage checks.

Following the security breach on December 13, a committee chaired by CRPF Director General Anish Dayal Singh is examining overall security issues at the Parliament complex and will make recommendations to the Union Home Ministry for improvements.with agency inputs