Chief ministers should not make surprise visits to other states as it might pose security risks, the Home Ministry has said. In a letter to all states, the ministry said chief ministers must inform the state they are travelling to before they make a visit, PTI reported on Sunday.

“This not only compromises the security of the visiting chief ministers, it can lead to potential embarrassing situations where the security detail accompanying the visiting chief minister is told that it has no jurisdiction outside the home state,” the ministry said.

The Centre said it had come to know that some chief ministers make such surprise visits to other states.

All chief ministers have Z or Z-plus category security. When they step out of their state, the host state is obligated to provide adequate security to them.

“It is, therefore, necessary that when the chief minister visits other states, they should intimate to the host state their detailed programme so that adequate arrangements of security as well as other arrangements such as accommodation, if required, can be made. Even otherwise, it is normal to inform the host,” the Home Ministry said.