The Uttar Pradesh government has put the state police on high alert, especially the religious shrines in Ayodhya Kashi and Mathura, after Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal revealed that a most wanted terrorist, Tehseen Akhtar, was planning to target these places.
The Uttar Pradesh government has put the state police on high alert, especially the religious shrines in Ayodhya Kashi and Mathura, after Indian Mujahideen co-founder Yasin Bhatkal revealed that a most wanted terrorist, Tehseen Akhtar, was planning to target these places. IG (law and order) R.K. Vishwakarma told reporters that the name of Tahseen Akhtar figured during the interrogation of Yasin Bhatkal and the information given out by him, all district police chiefs have been asked to remain on high alert. Sketches of Tehseen Akhtar have been sent to all police stations. Tehseen Akhtar is wanted in connection with Hyderabad and other blasts and is an IM operative who carries '10 lakh reward on his head. Besides, intelligence reports received in the past three days also point towards the possibility of communal violence in central and eastern UP during the festival season. “We are also keeping the security agencies on high alert in view of the festive season like Navratri, Dussehra, Id ul-Zuha and then Diwali. Special security measures, including CCTV cameras and metal detectors, will be put up at all major Durga Puja pandals and round-the-clock vigil will be maintained there,” said a senior police official. The district police chiefs have been directed to deploy women constables in major temples during Durga Puja and Navratri to check cases of eve-teasing and petty theft. Women constables would also be posted in plain clothes as decoys. Senior police officials will be coordinating with temple committees in almost all districts for crowd management and control. Bomb disposal squads and sniffer dog squad will remain on standby duty. “For the ‘visarjan’ of Durga idols, we have asked the district police chiefs to earmark routes in such a manner that they do not cross other religious shrines since this always paves the way for communal tension. The use of loudspeakers is also being regulated so that there are no irritants for members of other communities,” said the IG (law and order). A top police official admitted that communal harmony had been disturbed across the state after the Muzaffarnagar riots and even the slightest provocation during the festive season could spark off trouble.
