2 days ago
Muharram: 5k volunteers to assist cops
Indore: Ahead of Muharram, Indore police and the local administration have taken extensive measures to ensure peace and maintain law and order on Sunday. For the first time, approximately 5,000 volunteers from the minority community will join a force of around 3,500 police personnel to manage the situation.
As part of these arrangements, Dhobi Ghat Maidan has been temporarily separated by erecting tin-shed barricades between two places of worship.
Despite protests from Hindu organisations, Indore Municipal Corporation (IMC) has granted permission for a three-day fair to be held on three acres of land at Dhobi Ghat Maidan, charging the organising committee Rs 1 lakh. This marks the first time the minority community sought the civic body's permission for the Muharram event, as the IMC secured ownership of the ground from the court last year.
The administration has installed a tin-shed partition, delineating the space for the Muharram event and separating it from the remaining land around the Hanuman Temple. Temporary police outposts are already established at both ends of the partitioned area, and additional forces of around 500 security personnel will be deployed to maintain order.
Indore additional police commissioner Amit Singh confirmed the deployment of an extra 1,000 personnel, bringing the total force on the ground to approximately 3,500, including officers from all police stations.
Flag marches will be conducted in sensitive and important areas, while drones will provide close monitoring. "Additional vehicles have been made available for regular patrolling, and command and control centres have been erected at strategic places to keep a round-the-clock watch on every activity," Singh stated.
He also mentioned that CCTV cameras have been installed at strategic locations, and regular checks are being conducted using modified Hand Held Metal Detectors (HHMD).
Additionally, stoppers have been placed at the entry and exit points of sensitive streets. Singh said that a significant new initiative involves engaging around 5,000 volunteers from the minority community for the first time. These volunteers have been provided with T-shirts, whistles, and caps for easy identification and will assist police, including plainclothes officers, within the Muharram fair area.
DJs have been instructed not to play objectionable music and to adhere strictly to volume and time deadlines. To ensure uninterrupted vigilance during potential power cuts, patrolling parties have also been equipped with torches, he said.
"The 48 hours of deployment of the forces, in shifts, as part of the execution of this plan will start from Saturday night," he said, adding that volunteers from the majority community will also assist the force at the selected locations.
