Puri, June 30: The rath yatra is a tough time for the security forces when they have to not only manage the sea of humanity on Grand Road but also provide security to the VVIPs.
Keeping the VVIPs safe amid lakhs of people is no mean task. Chief secretary Bijay Patnaik and Puri collector Aurobinda Agarwal, along with some others, fell down inside the security cordon yesterday, while pulling the chariots on the occasion of bahuda yatra.
“Rath yatra will end after the suna besha (decorating the deities in gold) is over today and after that, hopefully, we can go back to our respective districts. The rath yatra duty is tough because it is very different from what we normally do,” said 24-year-old Trilochan Sahu, a constable of the India Reserve Battalion, who was on duty in the VIP security cordon.
Almost all the police officers, including the jawans, admitted that one has to be patient while dealing with the rath yatra crowd. Assistant commandant of police B.B. Rout said: “I have been on rath duty for the past seven years. It demands total dedication and one has to be patient while dealing with the crowd.” Rout is on deputation to Puri from Koraput district.
“Since everyone wants the best place, it becomes tough for us. Besides, one cannot use force on them,” he said.
The Odisha administration had also issued instructions on how to deal with the devotees and servitors. “Despite all the precautions, it is very difficult to maintain peace,” he said.
To avoid mishaps, the district administration, like every year, has armed policemen with “soft” lathis. “No one is seriously injured if the jawans use this lathi. More than 1,000 such lathis have been issued this year,” said a senior police officer.
Sanjay Kumar of the Rapid Action Police Force said there was a need to sensitise security forces on how to control the crowds while keeping a watch on potential troublemakers. The bomb disposal squads and dog squads are also on test during the rath yatra period when nearly 50 lakh people visit Puri.
It is not easy to dissuade temple servitors from letting devotees near the chariots. “It’s tough convincing them but I enjoy the duty. We have to strike a perfect balance between respecting the sentiments of the devotees and ensuring the rights of the servitors,” said 23-year-old Bikram Sahu, a jawan of the India Reserve Battalion.Nearly 107 platoons of police, two companies of Rapid Action Police Force, three anti-terror squads and two bomb disposal squads have been deployed this time.
The toughest part, said policemen, was providing security to the VIPs. “All VIPs demand a special escort. Though we have a separate wing for the VIPs, it’s really tough to handle them and the mediapersons who want to speak to them,” said a police official.
