In what they termed as a routine practice, the Mumbai police has decided to downgrade the security cover for celebrities like Aamir Khan and Shah Rukh Khan, reports suggested.
However, Mumbai police says there is no downscaling of existing personal security provided to film personalities.
A Mumbai police officialIt was needed to nix unwanted security cover to these celebrities. We have taken this decision and would get it implemented at the earliest.
Earlier the Mumbai police was providing security cover to 40
celebrities but now the number has reduced to 15 – the ones who genuinely have a threat to their lives.
After an assessment of its annual audit on security cover, this decision was taken on Friday.
Shah Rukh and Aamir’s security cover had been heightened in the wake of their comments on the intolerance issue.
Security cover for Vidhu Vinod Chopra, director Raj Kumar Hirani, director-choreographer Farah Khan, producer Karim Morani and a few others have been either downgraded or withdrawn completely.
Among the 15 celebrities who will continue to get security cover are Akshay Kumar, Mahesh Bhatt and Mukesh Bhatt, Amitabh Bachchan, Dilip Kumar and Lata Mangeshkar.
(At The Quint, we are answerable only to our audience. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member. Because the truth is worth it.)