Police Throw Massive Security Blanket For Ram Navami In Riot-Scarred Nagpur

Nagpur: A fortnight after riots erupted in Nagpur, police are hammering out a blueprint to ensure foolproof security for Ram Navami celebrations on Sunday. CCTV-enabled surveillance vehicles, drone aerial monitoring systems, and watchtowers will assist 3,500 cops and another 500 State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) personnel on roads across the city. Around 93 big processions and another 30 smaller ones will be taken out to mark the festival.With scars of riots still fresh, police are carefully conducting inspections of procession routes, especially the bigger ones, to identify communal crossover points. Such nodes will be covered with multiple security layers and electronic surveillance, said a police source. Senior cops are also communicating with leaders and opinion leaders of different communities.Police and SRPF jawans will have at least four riot-control units and quick response team commandos to assist them in communally sensitive zones, especially along routes of the larger Ram Navami processions. Around 1,300 home guards will also be present. A reserve manpower of around 500 will be kept ready at police headquarters for any emergency.Police commissioner Ravinder Singal, along with other senior officials, chaired a joint meeting of organisers, govt departments, and NGOs. During the collaborative meeting, Singal directed organisers of Ram Navami programmes to adhere to conditions issued while granting permissions. The top cop also underlined the need to follow the decibel guidelines, deploy volunteers for traffic and procession management, and respect religious sentiments of other communities, while passing through their areas, it's learnt."The top cop visited riot-hit areas to initiate dialogue with local citizens. Police stations have been organising ‘peace committee' and ‘mohalla committee' meetings at different localities, with CP and top officials addressing citizens and listening to their grievances," said a senior official.Sources stated police stations have been urged to step up surveillance exercises within their limits and conduct sector patrolling in sensitive areas and their adjoining localities. "Local police stations have been urged to identify sensitive locations within their own jurisdictions and keep vigil on such places," said a senior official.