Amid tight security, major temples in the national capital marked the Mahashivratri festival. The security agencies were on their toes after a terror alert was sounded in the city on Sunday.
Amid tight security, major temples in the national capital marked the Mahashivratri festival. The security agencies were on their toes after a terror alert was sounded in the city on Sunday. The top brass of the Delhi police had instructed all the deputy commissioners of police to heighten vigil in their districts.
The police presence and patrolling around temples was stepped up on Monday as devotees thronged the temples as heavy traffic in the areas close to temples led to major traffic jams.
The police had made arrangements to deal with the traffic snarls, but people across the city complained to getting stuck in jams for over an hour. Traffic police personnel were deployed in large numbers along with civil defence personnel in major traffic spots such as Connaught Place, ITO, Chandni Chowk, Lajpat Nagar among others.
“We made sure the that traffic flowed smoothly in major spots in the city. Maintaining smooth traffic also helped police and security agencies in maintaining a sharp vigil on the city,” said another police official. However, heavy traffic and jams were reported from many areas of the city, including the Jaipur Expressway and NH-24. Police deployment was heavy at popular markets, iconic buildings and other places like Metro stations, railway stations and bus terminus, which witness very high footfall in the city, a senior official said. The Delhi police had on Sunday heightened its vigil near iconic buildings and military installations.
A police source said the input specifically mentioned 10 militants of Lashkar-e-Tayyaba (LeT) and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) outfits has entered into Indian territory via Gujarat and there was apprehension that they could carry out a terrorist strike in Delhi.
The special cell and crime branch of the Delhi police were briefed about the input separately to ensure that activities of gangs operating in and around the city and elements with suspected terror links were closely monitored.
The police also ensured that CCTV cameras at all places with high footfall, like popular markets in the city and Metro stations, are functional, the source added.
