Anti-sabotage check teams to bolster security at Hindu religious places

LUCKNOW: The UP Police will further strengthen security at Hindu religious places in Ayodhya, Varanasi and Mathura following terror threat perception, said senior police officials here on Thursday. They said more anti-sabotage (AS) check teams, an essential part of security paraphernalia for detection of any explosive items and unwanted materials, would be deployed at these places.

ADG (security) Binod Kumar Singh said two new AS check teams will be deployed on the Ram Janmabhoomi premises in Ayodhya while one each will be deployed at the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi and Vrindavan temple in Mathura. Ten AS check teams were flagged off on Thursday to their destination points.

“Besides four teams to be deployed at religious places, six others will remain deployed at Government Railway Police divisions in Lucknow, Prayagraj, Gorakhpur, Moradabad, Agra and Jhansi,” he added.

The ADG said more bomb detection and disposal squads (BDDS) and anti-sabotage check teams were added to the state security headquarters armoury recently. “Two BDDS and two anti-sabotage check teams were deployed for security checks on the Ram Janmabhoomi premises in Ayodhya in April,” he said, adding, “One BDDS was deployed at the Secretariat complex in Lucknow, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad high court, the Allahabad high court in Prayagraj, the Varanasi police and PAC’s 30th battalion in Gonda.

The ADG said there were five BDDS teams in 1987, which gradually went up to 26 in 2010. The state security headquarters prepared a proposal for the creation of more BDDS and AS check teams in 2021, keeping in mind security challenges in UP.

He said the purchase of stateof-the-art equipment for the creation of the new teams was done, and its members were trained at National Security Guards centre in Manesar, Haryana, and CRPF training centre in Pune.

“At present, the UP security HQ has 61 AS check teams and 31 BDDS teams. All BDDS teams are equipped with AC buses for their movement,” he stated.

More anti-sabotage check teams were added to the state security headquarters armoury recently BINOD KUMAR SINGH , ADG (security)