City prepares to play perfect host to union home minister

186 police officers; 1800 personnel, apart from SRPF jawans deployed to maintain tight security during the minister’s tour of 12 hours.

Lokmat News Network

Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar:

The union Home Minister Amit Shah arrived in the city late in the evening on Monday. He will leave on Tuesday morning to attend public meetings at Jalgaon and Akola and then return to the city to attend the much-awaited public meeting to be held at Marathwada Sanskrutik Mandal ground at 6 pm.

The minister will reach the venue after paying floral tributes to the statue of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj.

Meanwhile, the city has transformed into a Cantonment with the deployment of police security everywhere from Monday evening.

Tight police security has been deployed by the outstation police force comprising 2 deputy commissioners, 8 assistant commissioners, 21 police inspectors, 60 APIs and PSIs along with 400 police constabulary. The State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) has also deployed its battalion.

Today (on Monday) morning, the commissioner of police (CP) Manoj Lohiya along with DCPs Nitin Bagate, Navneet Kanwat, Shilwant Nandedkar, and Prashant Swami inspected the venue and the route of the union minister’s convoy. At 1 pm, the police bandobast was rechecked. Meanwhile, the CP has instructed the officials and personnel to remain on their toes and ensure that there do not remain any lacunae in the security arrangements.

Meanwhile, the police for the past two days, started collecting details of the office-bearers and activists of various organisations. The move aims at preventing the agitators from coming on the route of the minister. The cops had contacted some of them directly as well.

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The union home minister is the third most important person in the country. Hence he has special Z security. The responsibility is on the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF). His security includes 55 jawans equipped with state-of-the-art arms; 10 NSG commandos and jawans holding briefcase-type ballistic shields. Besides, his convoy includes a jammer vehicle and bullet-proof vehicles.

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Security Details

Under the leadership of CP Manoj Lohiya, the police force that has been deployed includes 6 DCPs, 11 ACPs, 41 PIs, 128 APIs/PSIs, 1277 male constabulary, and 140 women constabulary, apart from one SRPF battalion.

Many officers and personnel from the Central and the State’s Intelligence Departments also reviewed the security arrangements at the venue.

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The police will be deployed on the terraces of eight high-rise buildings existing in the vicinity of the venue. Tight vigil will be kept on the buildings which are close to the dais.

The cops have started collecting details of the new tenants in these buildings and also the details of guests who had arrived to meet the occupants of these buildings.

The public address of the union minister will be telecast live through six LED screens fixed outside the venue, apart from screens fixed at Khadkeshwar and Anna Bhau Sathe statue.

There will be 10-15 private photographers and one drone (with permission) will be in operation.

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Avoid using these routes today

Old Multipurpose School to Narali Baug Chowk to ITI to Khadakeshwar T-Point.

Jubilee Park to Marathwada Sanskrutik Mandal.

Geeta Xerox to Marathwada Sanskrutik Mandal.

Mill Corner to Mahatma Phule Chowk via Khadkeshwar.

The following routes will remain closed for all types of vehicles from 2 pm to 12 pm. Hence the citizens are appealed to use alternative routes to avoid inconvenience.