4,500 cops, with drones & water cannons, gear up to guard Nabanna tomorrow
Times of India | 26 August 2024
Kolkata: Armed with drones, multiple water cannons, tear gas shells and hundreds of guard rails and aluminium alloy walls, 4,500-odd cops from Kolkata Police and West Bengal Police are set to form barricades at seven locations in Kolkata and Howrah to prevent protesters from reaching Nabanna during the Nabanna Abhijan planned by Paschimbanga Chhatra Samaj, or West Bengal Students Society, on Tuesday.
There will also be riot-control vehicles at multiple points in the city, and guard rails and cross-scissor bamboo barricades will be set up at seven locations — Esplanade crossing, Hastings crossing, second Hooghly bridge, Santragachhi crossing, Howrah bridge, Howrah Shibpur and Mandirtala crossing.
According to sources, 2,100 cops under the supervision of 97 senior officers will be tasked to ensure safety in and around Nabanna alone, where five separate tiers of command have been created. Each tier will be headed by officers of different ranks. The first tier will have 21 officers of inspector general and deputy inspector general ranks while 13 superintendent- or deputy commissioner-level officers will be responsible for the second tier. The third tier will comprise 15 additional superintendent of police-level officers and the fourth command will be led by 22 assistant commissioner- or deputy superintendent-level officers. The fifth tier will be managed by 26 inspector-level officers.
Officials said the security arrangement will be the most comprehensive and intricate ever implemented in the vicinity of the state secretariat.
“The decision to implement stricter security protocols stems from concerns that certain opposition political groups may attempt to infiltrate the gathering and compromise the safety of Nabanna,” said an official.
On Sunday, Kolkata and Bengal police posted on their Facebook pages expressing concern that on Tuesday, several candidates are scheduled to take the UGC-NET exam from 9.30 am to 12.30 pm and again from 3pm to 6 pm. “We have ensured adequate police presence on the roads so that no UGC-NET candidate has difficulty reaching their examination centre. In case of any emergency, candidates are requested to seek help from the nearest police personnel or contact the nearest police station,” the post said.