Security tightened ahead of Babri Masjid demolition anniversary
Wednesday, December 5, 2007

Ayodhya/Chennai, Dec 5 (ANI): Security has been tightened in different parts of country ahead of the 15th anniversary of the demolition of Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in 1992.

In Ayodhya, Police have been deployed across the town, to ensure safety and the maintenance of peace.

Gopeshnath Khanna, Superintendent of Police, Faizabad, said security has been beefed up to avoid untoward incidents.

"We are checking all vehicles which are coming in and out of the city. We have been provided with four additional companies of PAC (Provincial Armed Constabulary) for the security of the main temples like Hanuman Garhi, Nageshwarnath and the Kanak Bhavan. We have arranged them in three shifts of eight hours each so as to have a full proof, round the clock security. In the context of the red zone, we surveyed the security arrangements and it is up to the mark," he said.

Khanna added that security personnel have been placed in 22 barrier zones and the path of circumambulation of Ayodhya.

Tight security arrangements have also been made at all major railway stations in Chennai.

Meanwhile, in Chennai, G. Nanchil Kumaran, Commissioner of Police said a total of 16,000 policemen will on duty round the clock and 117 patrol vehicles will be regularly monitoring the situation in the city.

"Fifty one check posts will be set up all around the city and the city will be sealed. The vehicles will not be allowed without undergoing a through check. This will be around the clock," he said.

The demolition of the 16th century mosque in Ayodhya on December 6, 1992, had triggered nationwide communal frenzy that took a heavy toll of human lives.

The ramifications of that movement are still being felt. Senior BJP leader L K Advani is among those accused of inciting communal passions by making inflammatory statements.

After razing the Babri mosque, Hindu activists put up a makeshift temple at the site that they contend is the birthplace of Hindu god Ram. (ANI)
--MP