Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) MP Kangana Ranaut on Thursday shared a photograph of a female commando behind Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Parliament.

The image, shared by the MP on Instagram, shows Prime Minister Modi walking in front of a woman commando in a dark suit, along with Union minister Kiren Rijiju.

The image has gone viral on social media.

Many users have speculated that the woman commando could be part of the elite Special Protection Group (SPG). However, her exact service branch remains unknown.

Notably, female commandos have been a part of the SPG’s security framework for years. Since 2015, women have also been included in the Close Protection Team (CPT) of the SPG. At present, the SPG reportedly has around 100 female commandos, according to India Today.

What is the SPG?

The SPG was set up in April 1985 under the Cabinet Secretariat by the then Prime Minister Rajiv Gandhi, in the wake of the assassination of his mother, former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi by her bodyguards.

The SPG Act came into being in 1988, envisaging the constitution and regulation of an armed force of the Union providing “proximate security” to the PM, former PMs and members of their immediate families residing with them at their official/allotted residences. The prime minister cannot refuse the security cover by the elite group, which is headed by a director.

SPG officers have been so far awarded a Shaurya Chakra, 45 President’s Police Medals for distinguished Service and 347 Police Medals for Meritorious Service, according to its website.