The Uttar Pradesh government has enhanced security of several political leaders and state ministers after conducting security review post the Ayodhya verdict.
The state government reviewed the security on Monday. Official sources said here on Tuesday that security of several people has been enhanced and others withdrawn on the basis of intelligence wing inputs.
UP Sugarcane Development Minister Suresh Rana’s security has been raised to ‘Z plus’ from ‘Z’ while that of Sunni Waqf Board chairman Zufur Faroqui and UP Shia Central Waqf Board chairman Waseem Rizvi enhanced to ‘Y plus’ from ‘Y’ category.
State Minority Affairs Minister Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi and BJP MLA Sangeet Som will get ‘Z’ category security. Besides, former UP ministers Ramveer Upadhyay and Naresh Agarwal will get ‘Y plus’ security. However, the government has decided to withdraw the security cover extended to spiritual guru Sri Sri Ravishankar, senior advocate Sriram Panchu and former apex court judge FMI Kalifulla, who were appointed as mediators for the Ayodhya case by the Supreme Court. The government has given security to some others too, but their names are yet to be disclosed.
Meanwhile, to maintain peace and communal harmony, the police are in constant alert mode in all the sensitive places while close monitoring on all social media activities has been made to quell rumours and fake messages. The alert was sounded in the wake of the Supreme Court verdict in the Ayodhya case. So far, 70 people have been arrested for rumour-mongering in the state and more than 270 social media accounts reported for further action. The vigil was also maintained to ensure peaceful celebration of Barawafat on Sunday and later ‘Kartik Purnima’ and 550th birth anniversary of Guru Nanak Dev on Tuesday.