Kamakhya temple atop Nilachal hill

Nov. 10: Rejecting the idea of setting up a permanent police outpost on Nilachal hill, the Kamakhya Debuttar Board has decided to approach Dispur to deploy armed homeguards to maintain security at the historical temple.

Secretary of the board, Nabakanta Sarma, said maintaining security at the temple was a sensitive matter and heavy deployment of police could destroy the sanctity of the temple. “In a temple like Kamakhya, which is visited by thousands of devotees every day, the administration has to consider the matter of security very carefully. Presence of a large number of police or security personnel may become a disturbing factor for devotees,” he said.

Between 2,000 and 2,500 devotees visit the temple on normal days. During festivals, however, the number crosses the one-lakh mark.

Sarma said initially the board had thought of deploying private security guards. The idea was, however, rejected on different grounds and armed homeguards emerged as a suitable option. The board has contacted lawyers to know its legal aspects, he said. “We will approach Dispur with the proposal. The board is also ready to bear the expense of deploying homeguards.”

The city police had decided to set up a police outpost at Kamakhya on the directive of Gauhati High Court after hearing a suo motu case. The court took up the case in the wake of a clash between a group of BSF personnel and priests on the temple premises on January 29.

The temple authorities, however, put up strong resistance against a move by the city police to occupy a plot of land belonging to the temple for construction of a police outpost. Alleging that both Kamrup and the police department were not following official procedures, Sarma claimed that the high court had issued an injunction on sale or transfer of the temple’s 44,000 bighas of land.

Kamrup (metro) deputy commissioner Avinash Joshi, however, said the government could allot part of the land for essential services like setting up a police station, as it is done in the interest of the public.