NEW DELHI: Amidst demands to bring Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi under the protection of the elite Special Protection Group (SPG), a number of retired and serving security officials have told ET that Modi faces a security threat which could perhaps be even higher than Prime Minister Manmohan Singh.On Tuesday, Home Minister Sushil Kumar Shinde dismissed the demand for giving SPG cover to Modi. “Narendra Modi has been given sufficient security. He does not need SPG security,” Shinde said.But former Home Secretary RK Singh told ET that international precedents were in favour of this . “In the US, the presidential candidate is covered by the US Secret Service as soon as he is announced as the candidate. So there is a precedent in place.Modi is perhaps the most threatened person in the country today. The SPG Act will have to be amended as it covers the PM, ex-PMs and their immediate family members. That is something for our security establishment to consider,” Singh said.Former chief of the NSG, Ved Marwah said Modi is a “number one target” for terrorists and said the threat to Modi is “higher” than that to the PM. “But I believe it would be better to raise his NSG Z-level cover to the highest level. I believe the SPG should only be reserved for the PM or ex-PM and should be withdrawn from their family members like Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi as it is discriminatory. The family members should also be given highest level of NSG,” Marwah told ET.Former Home Secretary G.K. Pillai also acknowledged the high level of threat to Modi but said he “was wellprotected by NSG.”A senior Home Ministry official said given the increased threat to Modi especially since his annointment as BJP’s PM candidate, NSG has dedicated 108 commandoes for Modi’s Z-plus security--almost thrice more than any of the other 16 NSG protectees. The official said the state police are being sensitized to provide bullet-proof vehicles to Modi and to consider installation of mobile jammers and bulletproof podiums for Modi’s rallies.“In the past, Mayawati had also demanded SPG cover but it was turned down on the same grounds that the SPG Act does not provide for it,” the official said.