Security norms in place ahead of temple event
STRINGENT MEASURES Drones to keep watch on VIP routes, restriction on outsiders
AYODHYA: Police in Uttar Pradesh’s Ayodhya have put in place several security arrangements, including Covid-19 protocols and preventive measures, ahead of the ceremony to lay the foundation stone on August 5 for the construction of the Ram temple, a senior official said on Sunday.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to lay the foundation stone of the Ram temple in a grand ceremony, which will be attended by several dignitaries, on Wednesday.
Deepak Kumar, deputy inspector general (DIG) of Ayodhya range, talked about the elaborate security arrangements in the temple town before and during the bhoomi pujan ceremony.
“A protocol would be followed for the security of PM Modi during his visit to Ayodhya. A Covid-19 protocol has also been followed. Covid warriors will also be deployed,” Kumar was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.
“We are continuously keeping a watch across the VIP routes via drones. There are no movement restrictions for the people residing in Ayodhya. I urge people not to step outdoors to contain Covid-19. We will not let outsiders enter the city,” he added.
The senior police official also said that more than five people will not be allowed to gather at a place but shops can open in the temple town. Police personnel, who have tested negative for the coronavirus disease and are below the age of 45, will be deployed in the Prime Minister’s security detail on the day. “The inner security ring will be handled by the Special Protection Group (SPG) officers. But police personnel, who have tested negative for the infection as well as those kept in reserve in complete isolation, would preferably be deployed closer to the inner security ring of the PM,” Hitesh Chandra Awasthy, UP’S director general of police (DGP), had said on Friday. Police have also planned route diversions and put in barricades at a dozen places in the town to ease traffic movement.
The Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust, set up in accordance with the Supreme Court verdict, is organising the ceremony. The construction of the Ram temple will begin after the ceremony.
Meanwhile, Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teertha Kshetra Trust member Kameshwar Chaupal said on Sunday that the beginning of its construction from August 5 will foster in society “brotherhood and harmony”, the values associated with Lord Ram.
This will also be a foundation stone of Ram Rajya in the country. Ram’s life encapsulates the values of social harmony and brotherhood. The temple will foster these values in our society,” Chaupal said. Chaupal, a key figure of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement and a Dalit member of the trust, told PTI that the BJP politically benefitted from the movement because the party associated itself with it and even “sacrificed” its four governments, including in Uttar Pradesh, for the sake of the temple.
He described PM Narendra Modi as a “rashtra nayak” (national hero) and a spiritually awakened leader who, he added, will lead the country towards “Ram Rajya”.
The BJP has argued that the previous UPA dispensation worked to delay a judicial resolution of the land dispute among warring parties, including Muslim groups, and it was only after the Modi government assumed office that the matter was speeded up.