Armed with additional manpower, the State administration has made elaborate security arrangements to ensure peace during the Bharat Bandh and the Aam Hartal called by different Opposition parties on Monday.
The bandh has been called on various issues including fuel price hike, deteriorating law and order situation, alleged scam in Rafael defence deal and plight of farmers.
Jharkhand police spokesman Ashish Batra said that the districts have now got additional 5,000 constables, who recently joined duty after training. “Apart from the State police, special forces including rapid action police would be deployed at the sensitive places of the State,” he said.
“One has the right to stage protest peacefully but they would not be allowed to indulge in vandalism,” he said.
District police across the State have floated mobile numbers on which citizens could send any illegal activities of the bandh supporters through Whatsapp.
Meanwhile, Ranchi DC Rai Mahimapat Ray and SSP Anish Gupta informed on Sunday that police would remain alert at sensitive places of the city including schools, colleges, railway station, bus stand, market places and petrol pumps. “The section 144 of CrPC would be in force during the bandh. The district administration has not issued any order to close the schools,” he said.
The Ranchi SSP said that the district administration has indentified 25 sensitive places which would be guarded by a strong contingent of static police, mobile police and the quick reaction team.
Around 70 bike borne policemen would on the move in various parts of the city and the surrounding area to take quick action based on intelligence.
The district has been divided into 10 zones which would be under charge of a senior officer.
The field officials have been asked to arrest the bandh supporters who form crowd and send them to the nearby camp jail. The camp jails have been formed at Birsa Munda Football stadium, Nehru Stadium Dhurwa, Khelgaon stadium and at the Polytechnique Silli.
The administration would also appoint videographer at various places of Ranchi including Piska More, Birsa More, Tupudana Chowk, Sujata Chowk, Jail Chowk, Karamtoli Chowk and Booty More to record the activities of the bandh supporters.
Drones would also be used at some places to supervise the ground situation.
The Ranchi police have taken to the social media to send message that no one would be allowed to take law in their hands. The police have cited the Jharkhand High Court judgment of 2016 which directs the administration to take steps to the effect that no one could forcefully implement the Jharkhand bandh.
The order also states that in case of damage to public or private property at the behest of a leader or political party, the damages should be raised from the political parties who have called the bandh.