Centre orders fresh security audit of Bodh Gaya temple

The government has ordered a full security audit of the famous Mahabodhi temple in Bodh Gaya in Bihar, before according an armed protection cover of central paramilitary commandos to the World Heritage Site thronged by lakhs of devotees every year.

Officials said the decision to undertake a fresh security audit and survey of the temple complex, including an assessment of the required security manpower, has been directed by the Union home ministry after a high-level meeting was convened in this regard here recently, also attended by officials of the Bihar government.

PTI had reported two weeks back that the Centre is planning to provide an armed security cover to the temple, four years after it was hit by a terror strike.

The Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), the paramilitary force that guards vital installations of the country like airports and those in the aerospace and

nuclear domain, will conduct the audit.

A team of its experts will soon visit the temple, known as the cradle of Buddhism, and undertake the exercise along with authorities of the Bihar police, Gaya administration and the Mahabodhi temple. The report will be submitted to the Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA).