DMK President M.K. Stalin on Friday urged the Central Government to utilise the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel withdrawn from his security to protect universities and students.

In a tweet, Stalin said: "I wholeheartedly thank each and every one of the @crpfindia personnel for providing security cover for me over the past many years."

"I urge the Govt to utilize CRPF personnel to protect universities and students from those perpetrating violence in the name of religion," Stalin added.

The Centre has decided to withdraw the VIP security of Tamil Nadu Deputy Chief Minister O. Panneerselvam and Stalin based on the Threat Assessment Review.

Panneerselvam had "Y+" category security cover while Stalin had a "Z+" protection being provided by CRPF.