Eye on protests, cops send law-&-order msg to pujas
Times of India | 6 October 2024
Kolkata: The top brass of Kolkata Police — led by commissioner Manoj Verma — has asked all cops to have their ears to the ground this puja to ensure that there is immediate intervention whenever “law and order, public tranquillity and right to movement is hampered”.
The OCs have been asked to brief all puja volunteers and civic volunteers about this.
The instructions came soon after a two-hour interaction of Verma with senior officers up to the level of OCs.
Giving an example, a senior officer said, “If a group of people arrives at the pandals brandishing slogans, they are well within their rights. If another group chooses a corner away from the main entrance of a pandal that will not hamper crowd flow. But if they raise slogans during puja disturbing tranquillity or create problems for visitors to enter or exit pandals, we will always intervene,” explained the officer.
Sources said Verma brought up the recent Bansdroni incident and a certain lapse of time before the incident became known to Kolkata Police. Sources said the top cop insisted on finding ways to get quicker information and instructed that quickest response was the need of the hour.
. “The OCs involve seniors rather than get involved in any conversations,” stated an officer. The police will be monitoring social media for leads. Cops have been asked to set up 200 pickets across the city and keep quick response teams ready for any eventuality.
“We will request organizers to put in as many volunteers as possible around the pandals, especially in the morning when the cops do not begin its full deployment for the day. It will be a 10-day affair and resources have to be planned and deployed. The NCC cadets and civil defence will also play a crucial part in the deployment,” said an officer.
Police said that with big-budget pujas opening their pandals as early as this weekend, cops expect this crowd to only get bigger on Panchami and Sasthi when officer-goers, revellers and last-minute buyers will jostle for road space. “The deployment will be such that it caters to the traffic demands all through the day rather than on specific evening hours, especially between Mahalaya and Panchami. We have sought permission so that even those cops undergoing training can be deployed at least in the morning,” claimed a source.