PRAYAGRAJ: As Maha Kumbh inches closer Mela cops are busy with deluge of applications from seers seeking security cover for themselves during the Maha Kumbh.
Mela police officials admit ted that around 1,500 policemen, including 500 gunners, would be allotted to prominent seers and saints and armed guards to all prominent religious and spiritual organisations before beginning of Maha Kumbh.
SSP (Kumbh Mela) Rajesh Dwivedi admitted to TOI that, “Mela police have been flooded with demands for additional police protection, including gunners and home guards, from saints associated with religious, spiritual, and social organisations.”
He, however, said that most saints who approach them have a self-assessed threat perception. Secondly, these organisations also seek additional police personnel to manage crowds at their respective camps. The majority of big pandals of prominent seers and saints are installing their own CCTV network.
“We are getting eight to ten applications every day from seers seeking security cover,” said a senior Mela cop, adding, “All applications have been for warded to the police thana concerned and the Local Intelligence Unit (LIU) for ascertaining the threat perceptions and submitting a report accordingly,” he added.
“If the LIU finds the threat perceptions genuine, then the applicant will be provided with armed security personnel. Till now, over 70 prominent saints, including secretaries and heads of all 13 akharas, have been allot- ted gunners,” said SSP.
The mahants, mahamandleshwars, and secretaries of all 13 akharas are provided with security Apart from gunners, five armed policemen have been allotted to each of the 13 akharas for security.
SSP, meanwhile, said that lesser-known organisations usually seek at least two to four homeguards to manage devo tees that turn up to seek blessings of the saints and security A senior intelligence official pointed out, “There has been a trend since 2007 when seers and saints seek security just to show off their influence to followers. They look forward to being as- signed commandos and armed policemen for protection even when there are no real security concerns.”
He, however, claims, “Cops are also getting a few re- quests wherein saints specifically demand a security personnel with a wireless set for crowd management at their pandals.”
A saint associated with a prominent akhara points out, “What’s wrong if a saint seeks security cover? A large number of people visit akharas, religious, and spiritual camps, and we cannot read every visitor’s intentions. If there are security personnel around, people with dubious in- tentions might stay away”
