NEW DELHI (TIP): At least four past and present chief ministers are likely to lose their NSG security cover with the home ministry deciding to prune the list of politicians guarded by the elite commandos trained for counter-terror and anti-hijacking operations.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav besides former Bihar chief minister Lalu Prasad, former Tamil Nadu CM M Karunanidhi and former Assam CM Tarun Gogoi could now be protected by a paramilitary force, multiple home ministry sources said. Though protection for top political leaders is based on threat perception, over the years it has become a status symbol for many leaders and earlier attempts to prune the list of NSG protected people had to be dropped due to opposition.

In India, VIP security is provided under four categories — z plus, z, y and x categories.