Baidyanath Temple: Extra cover

Ranchi, June 7: The state has decided to throw a permanent security ring around the Lord Baidyanath Temple in Deoghar, which witnesses heavy footfall during the Shravani Mela every July.

A dedicated force, comprising 100 jawans drawn from the district police and headed by an officer of the rank of deputy superintendent, will be formed for the 16th century temple before next month. This is the first time that such a security team is being constituted for any place of pilgrimage in the state.

The force’s main task will be to guard the premises, which houses a 72ft high main temple of Lord Shiva and a string of 21 small temples of other deities, throughout the year besides controlling the swelling crowd.

“So long, the temple complex was being guarded by a town police outpost set up by the Deoghar district administration. But considering the rush of pilgrims from across the country and abroad too, particularly during Shravani Mela every year, we thought it wise to constitute a permanent and well-trained security force without delay,” state home secretary J.B. Tubid told The Telegraph.

Rough estimates show that in 2008, the temple recorded a footfall of 50-75 lakh during Shravani Mela.

Officials at the tourism department pointed out that with the state providing special infrastructure support to the temple, the number of devotees was expected to go up further this year.

On any normal day, around 10,000 devotees visit the temple. The figure goes up significantly every Monday, believed to be an auspicious day by devotees of Lord Shiva.

Sources at the home department, however, added that apart from the growing number of pilgrims every year, reports that the ancient temple might be on the hit list of terrorists had prompted the authorities to make special security arrangements.

Tubid said that the state had already given the go-ahead for creation of 100 new posts for the dedicated force.

Appointments will soon be made to ensure that the team is in place before the fair begins on July 7. Once the recruitment process is complete, the jawans will be given intensive training on crowd handling and mob psychology.