Jharkhand assembly speaker given Z category security

Jharkhand assembly speaker Shashank Shekhar Bhokta has been accorded Z category security and the legislators of the state have been kept above the chief secretary in protocol, it was announced Tuesday.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Rajendra Singh announced the protocol of the speaker and the state legislators in the assembly. Earlier, Bhokta was accorded Y category security.

"Now, the assembly speaker has been accorded Z category security cover. The legislators of the state are above the chief secretary as far as protocol is concerned," Rajendra Singh told the assembly Tuesday.

On two occasions in the past, Bhokta had turned down the security in protest as protocol was not followed. Many state legislators also raised the issue of protocol alleging officials in the state were ignoring it.

The speaker told legislators to bring privilege motion against the officials if anyone was deliberately not following protocol.