MADURAI: Still facing flak from various fronts due to the firing at Paramakudi last month on Immanuel Sekaran memorial day, the entire state machinery has geared up to conduct the Muthuramalinga Thevar memorial day in a peaceful manner at Pasumpon in Ramanathapuram district on October 30.
Even as officials are working out a plan to provide foolproof security in Pasumpon, where a large number of people from the Thevar community are set to throng on the day, the police are also preparing to prevent any untoward incidents in other places in the southern region.
State home secretary Ramesh Ram Mishra and DGP K Ramanujam conducted a review meeting with collectors and police officials in southern districts on Sunday. Officials have decided not to allow wall posters to be stuck by any group or community during thevar guru pooja. Mishra instructed district collectors as well as police officers that they should be on high alert to ensure that no violence occurs from October 27 onwards.
"Police should not allow people to travel in open vehicles like trucks and tempos, to Pasumpon. People who visit Pasumpon from across the state
should adhere to the route earmarked by police. They should not be allowed to set up loudspeakers in the vehicles,'' he told the officials.
SPs and senior police officers should identify sensitive areas and deploy more police personnel for security, he said.
DGP K Ramanujam said more than 6,000 police personnel will be deployed for security for the guru pooja including 20 SPs. The Additional DGP (law and order) and IG, south zone, will monitor the security arrangements.
Madurai collector U Sagayam said people will not be allowed to carry liquor during the procession to Pasumpon.
Madurai city police commissioner Kannappan, who held a meeting on Saturday, promised to provide security to all vehicles of functionaries of the thevar outfits as well as leaders of the Forward Bloc from Madurai to Pasumpon, where the memorial of U Muthuramalinga Thevar is situated. However, they should approach the police with a request for security with details of the vehicles. In an apparent reference to the Paramakudi police firing, Kannappan said the situation this year was much different compared to previous years and said that in a bid to prevent any untoward incidents, the police would not permit processions in two-wheelers and autorickshaws.
However, Mulaipari and Pal Kudam processions would be allowed if permission was sought for them in advance. "We don't mind processions on foot and closed vehicles. But two-wheeler processions and autorickshaw processions cause a lot of hardship to participants. Sometimes, fatal accidents also happen," he said.
Similarly, flex boards would be permitted only in certain localities, he said.
No comments:
Post a Comment