Overview
- Raghav Chadha’s state-provided Z+ detail, which sources said was pulled last week, is now being replaced by central protection with Delhi Police assigned to guard him until the deployment is finalised.
- Media accounts differ on whether the Centre has granted Z or Z+ cover, though outlets agree the move follows an Intelligence Bureau assessment that recommended stronger protection.
- The security shift follows AAP’s April 2 decision to replace Chadha as deputy leader in the Rajya Sabha, as party leaders accuse him of soft-pedalling attacks on the Centre and he counters that he has been silenced, not defeated.
- On the same day, the Enforcement Directorate searched locations linked to his replacement, Ashok Mittal, in Punjab and Haryana under FEMA, and AAP alleged without proof that Chadha coordinated with BJP leaders and that the raids and new cover were linked.
- Z and Z+ are among India’s highest protection tiers, assigning large teams from state police or central paramilitary units, so a state withdrawal followed by central deployment is both a security decision and a politically charged signal.