The Centre is considering a proposal to set up a specialised unit of the National Security Guards (NSG) in Ayodhya to secure and provide round-the-clock security to the Ram temple, sources in the security establishment said on Tuesday.

“The Ram temple is one of the vital and sensitive installations in the country and talks are on to set up a specialised unit of the NSG in Ayodhya to secure the area around the temple. The government is seriously considering the proposal,” said a security official attached to the Union home ministry.

The proposal was discussed at length in a recent meeting and a nod from the government is awaited, he said.

“Once we get the nod, then the specialised NSG unit will be set up in the temple town. The unit will be armed with CCTV cameras and drones equipped with artificial intelligence to ensure overall security. Anti-drone systems will also be there to prevent any aerial threats,” the official said.

The NSG was formed in 1984 following Operation Blue Star and the assassination of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi.

“The NSG had led the security arrangement and secured the Ram Mandir area during the Pran Pratishtha ceremony in January,” the official added.

During the Ram temple consecration ceremony in Ayodhya, elaborate security arrangements had been made. Over 10,000 CCTV cameras equipped with AI-based technology had been installed throughout the district to ensure strict surveillance of commuters.

Sources said central paramilitary forces, including the NSG, had urged the Centre to take them off VIP security duties and reduce their workload.

Earlier, in 2002, a group of ministers had recommended that the CISF be assigned the task of VIP security and suggested that the ITBP (Indo-Tibetan Border Police), the CRPF and other security agencies be relieved of this duty so they could focus on the more serious tasks that they had been created for.

The home ministry provides security to individuals depending on assessments of threats to their lives and the cover is continued, withdrawn, downgraded or
upgraded based on periodic reviews.