Finance Minister returns security after row over vehicle allocation

Surendra Soren

Ranchi

Finance Minister Radhakrishna Kishore has returned his official security cover, including three government vehicles and 16 police personnel, following a dispute over the allocation of security vehicles and a notice issued by the Finance Department.

In a letter to the Director General of Police (DGP), the minister wrote that a notice served to his personal secretary by the Joint Secretary of the Finance Department was “embarrassing” and had prompted his decision to surrender the entire security arrangement.

“The notice issued by the Joint Secretary, Finance Department, to my Personal Secretary is embarrassing for me. Therefore, I am returning the vehicles along with the police personnel deployed for my security,” the minister stated in the letter.

According to Kishore, 16 police personnel had been assigned for his security, but only three government vehicles were provided by the police headquarters to transport them. He said the limited number of vehicles forced security personnel to travel in overcrowded conditions along with their equipment, compromising both safety and operational efficiency.

The minister said he had written to the DGP on April 21, 2026, requesting an additional vehicle to facilitate better deployment of the security personnel. However, he claimed that no response was received from the police headquarters.

Instead of sanctioning another vehicle, the Finance Department’s Joint Secretary, Pankaj Kumar Singh, reportedly issued a notice directing those one of the three vehicles assigned to the minister’s security detail be returned immediately to the police headquarters, citing an existing government order.

Kishore expressed strong displeasure over the fact that the notice was served to his Personal Secretary rather than being communicated directly to him. Calling the move inappropriate and humiliating, he decided to return not only the vehicles but also the entire contingent of police personnel assigned to his security.

With the decision, the finance minister will now travel without an official security convoy. The development has sparked discussion within political and administrative circles, though there has been no official response from the state government or the police headquarters on the matter.