As many as 590 cops from East Singhbhum district police, including 40 officers, have been deputed for the month-long Shravani Mela, which will begin in Deoghar from July 20.
If sources at the Police Line are to be believed, they make around 20 per cent of the total strength of the district police, which means the remaining force would have a tough Shravan this year compensating for the special deputation in Deoghar.
Superintendent of police (city) Prashant Anand said the orders came from the state headquarters, which had directed them to send 550 policemen, including havildars (head constables) and 40 officers to Deoghar during the Shravani Mela.
"We are complying with the instructions from the headquarters and have already started sending policemen to Deoghar. All the 550 policemen, including 40 officers, will reach Deoghar by July 18," said Anand.
This is part of extra security arrangements at the holy town this year in order prevent a rerun of 2015 stampede at Baba Baidyanath temple on August 10 that killed 11 devotees and injured at least 50 others.
When asked, the city SP, admitted to the fact that absence of these cops from the district, especially Jamshedpur, would have an impact on patrolling and maintenance of traffic. "Of course, we will have to face problems. But, we will make optimum utilisation of the existing police force," said Anand, declining to disclose the total number of policemen in Jamshedpur, owing to security reasons.
Crimes like chain snatching, bike lifting, drug peddling, burglaries, thefts and eve teasing continue unabated in the steel city despite intense patrolling on roads. But, in the absence of so many policemen for so long, the law and order situation is bound to get further affected. The investigation into the unsolved cases will also be affected.
"In absence of adequate number of policemen in the city, the arms checking drive and patrolling cannot be carried out effectively," said a senior police officer on conditions of anonymity, adding that the law and order situation was bound to suffer.
