 "'Condemnable': Akhilesh on cops dressed in priests attire at Kashi temple")
The decision to deploy police officers dressed as priests at the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi has stirred controversy, with Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav strongly criticising the move. The 50-year-old leader cautioned that allowing police officers to dress in attire other than their uniforms poses a big security risk.
"According to which 'police manual' is it correct for policemen to be dressed as priests? Those who give such orders should be suspended. If tomorrow any 'thug' [fraudster] takes advantage of this and loots the innocent public, then what will the UP government and administration answer? Condemnable!" Akhilesh Yadav wrote on X.
The Samajwadi Party chief shared a news clip showing police officers in traditional clothing, with male officers in dhoti-kurtas and female officers in salwar kurtas.
Meanwhile, Varanasi Police Commissioner Mohit Agarwal defended the controversial measure, citing concerns about crowd management and the well-being of devotees. He argued that the traditional attire of priests helps in fostering a more positive interaction with pilgrims, thereby reducing the risk of unrest or agitation.
"The duty in the temple is different from other places as police have to manage different types of crowd here. The crowd here is not for creating law and order problems. The police are here to ensure easy darshan to people and help and guide them," Mr Agarwal said, as quoted by news agency PTI.
"The devotees get hurt if they are being pushed by policemen, if the same thing is done by priests they take it in a positive way. Following no touch policy, policemen are being deployed in priests' attire," he added.