UNI
Ahmedabad, Jun 25: In the wake of a rising terrorist threat, city police have chalked out a foolproof security blanket for the 129th annual rath yatra of Lord Jagannath to be taken out from the famous over-a-century old Jagannath Temple from Jamalpur area of on June 27.
The entire Jagannath Temple complex have been been with eletronic gadgets, including close circuit televisions (CCT), metal detectors, video camera and others. Specially trained policemen are being deployed to monitor the movement of devotees in and around the Jagannath temple to prevent any terrorist bid to disturb the yatra or communal harmony in the city, C R Parmar, Additional Commissioner of Police (ACP) (Special Branch), said here on Saturday.
The yatra will consist of three-chariots of Lord Jagannath (Krishna), his brother Balaram and sister Shubhadra, which will be rolled out in the morning by Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi, after he performs special pooja at the temple. The rath-yatra will also have traditional attraction of 16 decorative elephants, 18 Bhajan Mandalis (groups), nearly 100 decorated trucks, 30 teams of gymnasts performing various feats, besides, over 2,000 saints and sadhus from all over India and thousands of devotees.
In an exclusive interview to sources, Parmar said, six teams of specially trained policemen will closely watch movements and activities of the devotees and visitors inside and outside the temple on CCTVs and check them with metal dectectors.
Parmar said besides electronics and hi-tech devices, a thick security blanket have been thrown around the temple complex and all along the entire route of 25 kms (thorough and back) for the peaceful conduct of the entire religious procession.
He said, nearly 20,000-strong contingent of security forces will be deployed. The entire procession will be monitored by City Police Commissioner K R Kaushik from a special control room at the Police Headquarters here.
The procession will be manned by 3 IGPs, 3 Dy IGPs, 27 Superintendents of Police, 51 Assistant Police Commissioners, 143 Inspectors, 520 sub-inspectors, nearly 10,000 police constables of city police and horse mounted police-men. Beside these, 67 companies of SRPF, CRPF and BSF, along with 3,500 jawans of Home Guards will be pressed into service, the ACP said.
The entire security force has been divided into two main categories -- 'mobile and static', while the entire route of 25 kms has been divided into 27 ranges for the smooth conduct of the procession. The mobile contigent will move along with the procession only to look after the security of the procession. While the 'static' contigent will be stand guard at their positions, Parmar added.