With showdown between the Vishwa Hindu Parishad(VHP) and the State government over the proposed 84- kosi yatra is now almost evident, over 1000 of activists of various of various Hindu organizations were held in different districts after the security forces started massive checking operation to prevent the saints from reaching Faizabad on the eve of the Yatra.
Hoping that the main confrontation with the VHP leaders would be witnessed at Makhaura on the Saryu bridge in Basti district, about 40 km from Faizabad, from where the yatra will start on Sunday, director general of police, Devraj Nagar, reached the venue on Friday evening. He is camping there along with senior officers to ensure that the efforts of the VHP leaders should be foiled at any cost. The security forces had already sealed the borders of all six districts - Barabanki, Faizabad, Gonda, Basti, Ambedknagar and Bahraich and deployed heavy police force to prevent the Rs saffron brigade’ from reaching the venue to participate in the Rs yatra’.
Prominent amongst those arrested were Swami Chinmiyanand in Shahjahenpur when he was holding a press conference at SS College on Friday afternoon, Mahant Ram Sarandas of Rang Mahal held from Ram Snehi Ghat in Barabanki, Sattu Baba of Sattubaba Ashram in Phoolpur area of Varanasi, Acharya Kushmuni (regional coordinator of VHP in Varanasi), along with Acharya Shantanu and Pawan Srivastava of VHP also in Varanasi,
Peethadeshwar of Sagra Ashram in Gauriganj at Amethi, Shree Abhay Chaitaniya Muni Maharaj from his Ashram, BJP’s MlA from Balha in Bahraich, Savitri Bai Phule, etc. According to official reports, to prevent VHP leaders from moving ahead, security forces put record number of barriers across the State which included 4 in Saharanpur, 7 in Muzaffarnagar, 5 in Shamli, 24 in Meerut, 4 in Bijnore, 9 in Amroha, 3 in Moradabad, 6 in Rampur, 10 in Sambhal, 12 in Badaun, 12 in Bareilly, 2 in Philibhit, 13 in Shahjahenpur, 35 in Aligarh, 6 in Bahraich, 13 in Agra, 4 in Mathura, 4 in Fatehgarh, 12 in Auraiya, 76 in Kanpur Nagar and Dehat, 4 in Etawah, 8 in Kannauj, 11 in Hamirpur, 9 in Mahoba, 11 in Banda, 3 in Chitrakut, 17 in Fatehpur, 9 in Kaushambhi, 11 in Pratapgarh, 10 in Kheri, 1 in Hardopi, 20 in Unnao, 1 in Rae Bareli, 16 in Barabanki, 13 in Faizabad, 16 in Ambedkarnagar, 5 in Sultanpur, 10 in Amethi, 13 in lalitpur, 7 in Jhansi, 13 in Jalaun, 12 in Gaziabad, 13 in Bulundshar, 18 in Bagpat, 15 in Hapur, 10 in Hathras, 10 in Kansganj, 21 in Etah, 4 in lucknow, 2 in Azamgarh, 11 in Mau, 2 in Balia, 19 in Gazipur, 12 in Chandauli, 4 in Santravidas Nagar, 3 in Mirjapur, 6 in Sone Bhadra, and 7 in Jaunpur. Besides, trains were also checked on all major stations. Sources said that over 1000 activists of VHP and other Hindu organizations were held so for till Friday evening and major arrests are likely to take place later in the night. The prominent VHP leaders which included chief patron,
Ashok Singhal, VHP’s working president Praveen Togadia, the Convener of the chaurasi- kosi-yatra Dr Ram Vilas Vedanti all reportedly went underground to prevent their arrest as they were supposed to head the Rs Yatra’ on Sunday. Security agencies had claimed to have identified 70 prominent VHP leaders who will be arrested to prevent them from leading the Yatra.
Giving the details of how the Ram Nagari turned into a fortress, ADG (law and Order) RK Vishwakarma said that all the six districts which included Faizabad, they allotted two officers of Superintendent of Police rank, 19 of Additional SP rank, 42 deputy SPs, 135 inspectors, 455 sub-inspectors, 2000 constables, 18 mahila sub-inspectors, 120 mahila constables,11 traffic sub-inspectors along with 8 head constables and 40 constables, 23 companies of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), 9 companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF), along with other equipments and vehicles used to control violence. He said that they also made 10 temporary jails in Faizabad, 12 in Barabanki, 6 in Bahraich, 2 in Basti, 3 in Gonda, and 5 in Ambedkarnagar.
Sources said that the Yatra will start from Makhaura on the Saryu bridge in Basti district, about 40 km from Faizabad on Sunday morning. later on August 28, the yatra will move towards Ambedkarnagar from Ayodhya and the security personnel would have to control them at Sarendirishi area of Gosaiganj on Ambedkarnagar road.