Taking cognisance of the communal tension prevailing in Saharanpur in neighbouring UP, on Saturday, the Uttarakhand police issued directives to the Haridwar and Dehradun district police heads to be on high alert and to monitor the situation closely.
Garhwal Range Deputy Inspector General of Police (DIG) Amit Sinha on Saturday said that Haridwar and Dehradun districts are sharing borders with Saharanpur. As a part of precaution, additional Police personnel were deployed along the border and at sensitive places within the districts and also asked police to be on high alert in their respective areas.
Anticipating trouble in the communally sensitive areas of Haridwar and Dehradun, following tension in Saharanpur, DIG Sinha directed the police officers that law and order should be maintained at any cost. Heavy Police forces including State Police, PAC and others were deployed in sensitive areas. Police forces, which were deployed for Kanwad mela in Haridwar, have been asked to continue till next order. “A regular monitoring of the situation in Haridwar and Dehradun is being done by Senior Police Officers, he added.
The district police heads were directed to beef up the security with the deployment of additional force at mixed population areas, crowded places and other sensitive areas to prevent disorder. Besides it, they were asked to intensify police patrolling and raise barricading at important crossings in their areas.
They were told to identify the areas where disputes were reported earlier between two communalities, and deploy additional police forces there. The police officers should be vigilant on anti-social elections. They have been directed to initiate measures to maintain law and orders as anti-social elements may get active in mix population areas in the districts due to communal tension in Saharanpur. Haridwar police said that the district police are prepared to deal with any inadvertent situation.
There is massive security deployment at various places in the district. Personnel of the PAC have also been deployed at sensitive places in the district. In view of communal tension in Saharanpur, Uttarakhand Transport Corporation officer has changed routes of buses between Dehradun and Delhi and other places. Following change in routes, passengers have to spend an additional around an hour to reach their destination.
In another development, Haridwar SSP Sadanand Date convened a meeting with the Police officers and directed them to be vigilant in their areas. He directed them to take precautionary measures for the peaceful conduct of Eid-ul-Fitr in their jurisdiction. Cops were asked to intensify police patrolling in their jurisdiction and keep a tab on anti-social elements, who may create trouble.