Delhi Police Commissioner K K Paul, in-charge of security in the national capital, has sought protection for himself and his family as he is facing a threat from one of his own inspectors who is "absconding" for the past eight months.

According to a communiqu� received from the Delhi Police headquarters, Paul, a 1970 batch IPS officer, has sought immediate security cover for him and his family from the Union home ministry due to a threat from Inspector Balbir Singh, who openly opposed the Delhi Police chief's action of suspending Devendra Manchanda, another inspector.

Manchanda subsequently committed suicide on October 12 last year and his family moved the Delhi High Court against Paul for allegedly harassing him and abetting his suicide.

At that time, some more Delhi Police officials, including Singh, spoke out against Paul and accused him of victimising junior staff officers for not following his orders, official sources said.

Singh, who was shifted from Rajouri Garden to the Delhi Police Training School, came out openly against Paul in October last year and claimed that he had been victimised for not following an alleged illegal order issued by the police commissioner, they said.

Paul, now set for a five-year tenure as a member of the Union Public Service Commission, has claimed that Singh is planning to cause harm to him and his family and therefore, adequate security should be provided to them.

A letter written by a deputy commissioner of police to the home ministry has sought an immediate assessment of the threat to Paul as well as immediate security cover for Paul and his kin.

Sources in the ministry said the request had been passed on to security agencies but Paul would be at best be provided Y-category security because of professional hazards for a period of six months.

Meanwhile, Singh has been untraceable since he openly criticised Paul.

Delhi Police were directed by the Delhi High Court to find Singh after his family sought the court's intervention as they feared that he had either been picked up or was being tortured by Delhi Police officials, a charge denied by the force.