New Delhi: Actress Kangana Ranaut, known for her successful cinematic career, is now carving a space for herself in politics. As a Member of Parliament of the Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ) in Lok Sabha, she recently posted a picture of a woman in uniform on her Instagram story.

She used fire emojis while sharing a photograph of a female commando standing behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament, and lauded the officer as being seen as a powerful picture of women empowerment.

Although Kangana did not provide a caption to specify the woman’s branch of service, many netizens speculated that she could be a member of the elite Special Protection Group (SPG), the agency responsible for securing the Prime Minister.

However, security sources confirmed that the woman is not part of the SPG but a Personal Security Officer (PSO) assigned to President Droupadi Murmu. She holds the rank of Assistant Commandant in the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), according to reports.

Until 2015, the SPG’s Close Protection Team (CPT) did not have women, but according to reports, the department now boasts around 100 female commandos.

What is SPG?

SPG (Special Protection Group) was established by Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi in April 1985 under the Cabinet Secretariat, following the assassination of his mother, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi, by her own bodyguards. In 1988, the SPG Act was enacted to provide “proximate security” to the Prime Minister, with an armed force officer assigned for protection.