Tight security in Bangalore ahead of Republic Day

Tight security in Bangalore ahead of Republic Day
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Police have beefed up security in and around the city to ensure peaceful Republic Day celebrations on Thursday, a top official said here on Wednesday.

A security blanket has been clamped at the Field Marshal Manekshaw parade ground where Karnataka Governor T N Chaturvedi is scheduled to take salute at the Republic Day parade in the presence of political leaders and other dignitaries, Joint Police Commissioner Narayan Gowda told IANS.

"To maintain law and order, we are deploying about 20 platoons of Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP), 15 central armed reserve (CAR) platoons and one KSRP commando force across the city.

“Six deputy commissioners of police, 17 assistant commissioners of police, 40 police inspectors and senior officers will be supervising the security arrangements for the R-Day celebrations," Gowda said.

Stringent security measures have been taken following intelligence reports that Kashmir-based militants might carry surprise attacks on the Republic Day.

The threat of such terror attacks on important occasions like Republic Day and Independence Day have heightened in the wake of growing security concerns.

"We are not taking chances to disrupt the R-Day activities in the backdrop of a terror attack last month on the Indian Institute of Science (IISc) campus and the arrest of six suspected Lashkar-e-Taiba operatives with arms and explosives in the state recently," Gowda pointed out.

Additional forces have been deployed at vital installations such as Indian Space Research Organisation, Defence Research and Development Organisation, the airport, the railway station and the inter-state bus terminus.

Police have also stepped up mobile patrolling and surveillance to keep a close watch on the movement of suspected elements or vehicles in the city.

The ongoing political crisis in the state following the withdrawal of support to the Congress-led coalition government by the rebel legislators of the Janata Dal-Secular has put an additional burden on the city police to maintain extra forces at the state assembly and offices of the three main political parties, including the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).