Tight Security Cover
The City Police Commissioner, K.C. Mahali has announced that a tight security cover would be thrown in and around the City beginning August 13 in view of the Independence Day celebrations on August 15. According to police sources, the security measures gain significance in the wake of serial blasts at Ahmadabad and Bangalore and intelligence interceptions about the terror module targeting and operating under the banner ‘BACK i.e., Bangalore, Ahmadabad, Chennai and Kolkatta’. The measures gained significance in the wake of an extremist who was secured at Tirunelveli ten days ago and the seizure of explosives. Mr.Mahali on Tuesday conducted a meeting to review the law and order situation and to check the alertness and preparedness of the machinery for an elaborate bandobust arrangement. A tight security cover was being thrown across the City under the direct supervision of the Deputy Commissioners of Police (Law and Order), S. Rajendran and K. Thondiraj (Crime and Traffic). Manpower available in law and order, crime and traffic have been mobilised for the bandobust measures and vehicle checks and lodge checks were being stepped up. As many as 24 mobile patrols, 37 motor cycle patrols, 30 bicycle patrols and patrolling on foot were being stepped up.
Extensive vehicle checks were being organised at all the eleven check posts on arterial and feeder roads that connected the city with the rest of the district. A total of 23 vital installations, statues of national leaders, important places of worship and places where congregation of public was likely were being provided with armed security. In addition to this, security arrangements and deployment of police personnel were being organised for bus stand, railway stations and airport. The VOC Park grounds where the national tri-colour would be unfurled on Friday was being turned into a security fortress with adequate police reinforcement besides aerial surveillance by personnel equipped with binoculars, on high rise buildings.
The security measures were only as part of the preventive and precautionary measures and not by any “pointed intelligence input”, the police sources said. Miscreants, trouble makers and criminal elements were being closely shadow watched.A total of 2,000 police personnel were being deployed on bandobust duty and in addition to the police personnel available with the city police, additional reinforcements were being drafted from Tamil Nadu Special Police Battalion, City Police Armed Reserve, Home Guards, Rapid Action Force (two companies).
