UP turns into fortress, vows ‘strict action’
The national, state and local-level leaders of the VHP against whom arrest warrants have been issued include its chief Ashok Singhal, Ram Vilas Vedanti and Pravin Togadia. Some senior leaders of the VHP who have already arrived in Ayodhya have been arrested, while entry of others has been banned in the temple town.
On Friday, the state home department informed the ministry of home affairs that prohibitory orders under Section 144 CrPC have been imposed in Ayodhya and Faizabad district. The MHA also dispatched 10 companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF) to the state for law and order duties on the request of the state government.
Issuing clear directions to the state government, the MHA has said all CCTV cameras should be functional in that area and the multiple security ring at Ayodhya, consisting of state and Central police forces, must not be breached.
The UP government has told the MHA that it does not expect a gathering of more than 4,000-5,000 persons during the yatra. It has assured the MHA of strict action to prevent the yatra from taking any route where it is suspected that a crowd build-up is taking place to stoke communal unrest. The MHA, however, has decided not to ban the yatra. Instead, it has issued repeated warnings and advisories to the state government over the last fortnight.
Earlier on Friday morning, BJP chief Rajnath Singh again urged the state government to reconsider its ban on the VHP’s proposed yatra and termed the yatra a “religious right” of the Hindus. He also questioned the government’s stand on the issue by saying how saints and sadhus could pose a threat to the law and order in the state.
The state government has already deployed heavy police force in sensitive Faizabad and Ayodhya districts. “Besides PAC and RAF, two superintendents of police, 16 additional SPs, 32 deputy SPs, 80 inspectors, 240 sub-inspectors have been deployed in Faizabad district to maintain law and order in wake of the yatra,” said IG (law and order) R.K. Vishwakarma.
The yatra, scheduled to begin Sunday, will culminate September 13 and will pass through six districts, namely Faizabad, Basti, Barabanki, Gonda, Bahraich and Ambedkar Nagar.
Meanwhile, the top police officials are constantly reviewing security preparations ahead of the proposed yatra in Ayodhya and the districts. Tight security and checking at railway stations, bus stations and airports has begun.
Faizabad DM Vipin Dwivedi has ordered all SDMs, BDOs, police station officers and tehsil-level officers to hold meetings with pradhans of all neighbouring villages and warn them of strict action in case they offer refuge to VHP activists.
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