Karnataka has made elaborate arrangements to maintain law and order in the state ahead of the verdict of the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court on the Ayodhya title suit, being delivered on Thursday. As a precautionary measure, the government has ordered the closure of schools and colleges for two days and has sounded high alert across the state.
Briefing reporters on the arrangements made to maintain law and order in view of the verdict, here today, state home minister R Ashok said the police department had been instructed to maintain law and order and take measures to prevent any untoward incidents anywhere in the state, following the verdict.
He asked people to honour the court verdict on the issue and not resort to any violence. As a precautionary measure, additional police forces would be deployed at the sensitive places in the state capital and other parts of the state including Hubli, Mangalore, Gulbarga, Bijapur, Bidar and Mysore. A strict vigil would be observed across the state, he said.
He said that the state government had also banned the sale and consumption of liquor from September 30 till midnight of October 1 under Section 144 (3) of Criminal Procedure Code of 1973. The petrol bunks have been instructed not to sell petrol and diesel in bottles and cans. Public functions and congregations have been banned during the two days and it has also banned victory celebrations after the verdict.
Earlier, this morning, Ashok addressed police officers in the district headquarters through videoconference and instructed them to maintain strict vigil. About 100-150 close circuit television cameras at sensitive places in each district, he said. ““We have already deployed about 50,000 police personnel across the state, including 20,000 men in Bangalore to maintain law and order and prevent any untoward incident arising out of the Ayodhya verdict,” Ashok told reporters after chairing a high-level meeting with the top police brass to review the security arrangements.
Ashok also held peace meetings with the heads of religious groups and urged them to maintain peace and harmony.
Senior officials from the departments other than police have also been included in the security arrangement and they will act as nodal officers monitoring the situation at taluk and hobli level.
Hubli-Dharwad police commissioner Raghavendra Auradker said that armed policemen would guard the twin cities of Hubli-Dharwad. Arrangements have been made for sky sentries, bylane patrolling and sector patrolling. Over 2,000 policemen including officers of DCP, ACP and inspector ranks will be on ‘bandobust’ duty round the clock. Anti-social elements and noted rowdies will be arrested as a preventive measure Auradker said.
Deputy Commissioner Darpan Jain said ten localities in rural parts of the district and 25 in Hubli-Dharwad had been identified as hypersensitive and special watch would be kept on these areas. He said victory celebrations, possession of arms, bursting of crackers and taking out processions have been banned.
Eleven special magistrates had been appointed to deal with the situation.
