72 companies of central forces to man Kumbh

Allahabad : At least 72 companies of central paramilitary forces will be deployed for security purposes during Kumbh next year. A decision to this effect was taken recently at the top level and the deployment of the forces will start in January.

Senior Superintendent of Police (Kumbh) RK S Rathore said: “We will be getting 72 companies of central paramilitary forces. They have been drawn from Border Security Force, Central Reserve Police Force, Indo-Tibetan Border Police and Sashatra Seema Bal. These will be deployed by the beginning of next year.”

Already, the Kumbh administration has set up the reserve police lines in the Mela area. Additional reserve forces from other parts of the state will arrive after Muharram. As of now, training of local police to tackle crowds is on.

Rathore said that talks with Uttarakhand are still going on for getting a police contingent for Kumbh. “No final decision has been taken yet. The Uttarakhand government has been requested to send policemen, as often they take the services of our police force during Kumbh in Haridwar,” he said.

The SSP added that at least 85 closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras will be installed in the Mela area to monitor the crowd. Besides, at least 127 other CCTV cameras will be installed at various points in the city for safety and traffic management. “The installation of CCTV cameras in the Mela area will be intensified as the Mela takes shape,” said Rathore.

This time, the police will also keep an eye on preventing polythene bags from coming into the city during Kumbh.