Bengal DGP Holds Meeting With Officers, Asks Them to Ensure Strict Vigil on Ram Mandir 'Pran Pratishtha' Day

West Bengal’s Director General of Police Rajeev Kumar on Friday met with senior police officers to ensure that the force remains on alert on January 22, in view of the ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony of Ayodhya Ram Temple.

Kumar held an emergency meeting with the Commissioners and Superintendents of Police (SPs) of all the districts and told them that no rallies will be allowed in any of these places without permission from the police. The teams should ensure that no gatherings take place in the regions.

Police teams are responsible for ensuring that any untoward incident does not take place, Kumar said.

Sources said that the DGP directed the deployment of additional forces in ‘sensitive’ areas. He said that stringent actions must be taken against even an iota of unrest in any of the areas.

Sources said that officers have been told to keep the barricaded checkpoints operational round the clock. It is expected that the police forces will be on high alert in the regions with mixed communities in the state.

Live telecast of the Ram Mandir ‘pran pratishtha’ ceremony will be projected on giant screens at several locations, sources said, adding that the police have been asked to keep strong vigil there as well.

Security forces have been asked to maintain special vigil in the areas of Howrah, Hooghly, North 24 Parganas, South 24 Parganas, Maldah, and Murshidabad, said sources.

Mamata Banerjee’s Sampriti Rally

West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress supremo Mamata Banerjee will be holding a ‘Sampriti Rally’ (harmony rally) on January 22, coinciding with the consecration ceremony in Ayodhya.

Earlier, Leader of Opposition and BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari had filed a request in the court asking it to not allow the rally as there were concerns about political unrest in the state. However, the Court allowed the TMC supremo-led rally and directed the government to ensure that peace is maintained during the rally.

Sources said that high level security arrangements will be made for the rally as well.

The Bengal chief minister on Tuesday had announced that she would lead a ‘rally for harmony’ in Kolkata on January 22, which will commence from the Hazra crossing in south Kolkata after paying homage to Goddess Kali at the Kalighat temple.