Security cover provided to the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) headquarters in Bhopal by the Special Armed Force (SAF) was unexpectedly withdrawn on Monday (1 April) night, causing a political outcry in Congress-ruled Madhya Pradesh, reports The New Indian Express.

The security personnel were ordered back to the RSS premises by Chief Minister Kamal Nath in less than 24 hours following the political backlash.

Interestingly, none other than veteran Congress leader and former chief minister of the state, Digvijaya Singh, took the Twitter to criticise the move.

“Removing security from the RSS office isn’t proper. I request Chief Minister Kamal Nath to order restoration of adequate security at the RSS office in Bhopal,” he posted.

BJP’s state media convener Lokendra Parashar responded to Singh’s post by stating, “why are you worried after yourself getting the security removed. All nationalist forces know what you think about them. You’re that individual who linked Hindu with terror. Don’t be a hypocrite due to fear of elections...”

Re-deploying the security cover, Nath explained that the decision to remove the SAF personnel resulted from a complaint made to the Election Commission (EC) about the shortage of security personnel. He claimed that not just the RSS office, but security was also withdrawn from five other places.