Intelligence officials have confirmed that a team from the National Security Guards will throw a security cover around the Indian players during the World Cup in the West Indies.
"A senior official of IB [Intelligence Bureau] visited all the venues recently and sent in his report to the government through the IB chief, wherein he wrote that he was aghast to see lack of security arrangements in the Caribbean islands.
"We had our own apprehensions and hence we recommended to the government to provide our own security cover for the players. The Home Ministry agreed with our findings and it was eventually cleared by the Ministry of External Affairs," a high-ranking police official told rediff.com on Saturday morning.
The Indian team plays its first warm-up match on March 6, and keeping in mind the urgency of the exercise, the squad of NSG commandos will reach the West Indies well before time and take over from the West Indies police.
The Indian team is not the only one that will have exclusive security cover.
"In fact, the West Indians do not want to take a chances because of the global scenario and have requested all the participating countries that they would provide assistance to security agencies from participating countries should they send their own men to protect their respective teams," the officer added.
Police officials are now wondering how did International Cricket Council allowed the West Indies to host the World Cup when it does not have the necessary security cover for participating teams.
The issue is likely to be debated by the playing nations in the next few weeks.
Though intelligence inputs do not mention any specific nature of threat to the Indian players, it does not want to take any chances.
" A threat can come from any quarter," say officials.
The Board of Control for Cricket in India, on Friday, had said they have no information about the secutiry threat to the Indian team.
