With due date for proposed chaurasi-kosi yatra just a day ahead and Faizabad already turned into fortress, chief minister Akhilesh Yadav took command in his hand to deal with the trouble makers with tough hand. No one be allowed to take law and order in his hand at any cost and you all should camp in your constituencies and try to convince the saints and other activists that we will now give permission to start a new trend in the name of religion so they must called of the Yatra", instructed
Akhilesh Yadav while addressing the Samajwadi Party legislators hailing from the six districts and adjoining areas where the proposed Yatra is to be passed. He reportedly summoned the Party MlA as well as officials here at his residence at Kalidas Marg on Friday afternoon to review the security measures and steps taken to prevent the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) activisits from taking out their proposed Chaurasi-kosi- padyatra from August 25 which has been already banned by the state government.
SP MlA from Ayodhya, Pawan Pandey later confirmed of CM’s directives and said that the government is firm and ready to deal with any situation. Akhilesh Yadav reportedly directed the MlAs that there would be no talks with the VHP leaders now and strict security would be provided to implement the ban on the yatra. According to party sources the CM took the report of the present political situation in the six districts of --
Faizabad, Barabanki, Basti,Ambedkarnagar, Bahriach and Gonda-- from the legislators and the officials separately. He was keen to know the fallout of the political situation in these districts in the wake of the VHP yatra. " There are no local support to the VHP in these six districts and only a handful of political leaders attached to the saffron brigade are trying to create the controversy," the legislators informed the Chief Minister. Akhilesh Yadav has instructed the officials to handle the situation with utmost precaution and urged them not to get provoked by any act of the VHP leaders.
Sources also said that on the directions also given to chief secretary Jawed Usmani, he also called a meeting of all senior officers here at lucknow. Besides IG, DIG and SP rank officers of all adjoining districts of Faizabad, principal secretary (Home), Director General of Police, ADG (law and order), ADG (Intelligence), and others were also summoned by Usmani to give last minutes touch to security preparation.
Meanwhile an advisory has been send to the police heads of all other States by the Police Directorate asking them to remain alert and take preventive measures to stop the VHP leaders from coming to Faizabad for the Chaurasi-kosi parikarma. ''We have alerted all the states and have appealed to them to share their intelligence inputs about the people from their area participating in the VHP's padyatra. They have also been asked to take preventive measures against the people trying to sneak in UP,'' said Additional Director General of Police (law and Order) R K Vishwakarma here on Friday evening. DGP is said to have rushed the letter to all the states about the VHP's padyatra.
Reports said that all the borders of six districts including Faizabad, Barabanki, Basti, Gonda, Ambedkarnagar and Bahriach have been sealed and security personnel were holding 'flag marches' to install confidence among the local people. ''The security personnel have been asked to be cautious in taking action against only on the people who are slated to participate in the VHP's padyatra while other pilgrims would not face any problem,'' Vishwakarma said. On the other hand, the state government has rushed additional reinforcement to Faizabad which includes 3 Additional
SPs, 10 Deputy SPs, 55 Inspectors, 115 Sub-inspectors and 900 constables besides another 75 sub-inspectors and 400 constables have also been sent to the district. The government has already deployed three companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF) in Faizabad along with one company each of RAF in the remaining five districts. two companies of RAF have been kept in reserve in lucknow.
Vishwakarma said though there is no specific information about the number of VHP leaders attending the padyatra but all preventive measures have been taken to avoid any untoward incident. A report from Faizabad quoting VHP sources said the saints and dharmacharyas of VHP would begin the parikrama after performing special puja at the banks of river Saryu in the morning on August 25. As many as 25 temporary jails have been erected in the district, in which the arrested would be kept. The religious city was, meanwhile, wearing a deserted look. The city was so far witnessing a huge rush of devotees that were thronging to celebrate the traditional Sawan Jhula mela.