Security bolstered to check recurrence of incidents like Hemtabad fiasco

Kolkata: In a bid to ensure that incidents like the one in Hemtabad do not take place when Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee addresses a public rally at Barasat in North 24-Parganas on Tuesday, the police have taken all necessary steps by tightening the security arrangements.

It may be recalled that two women had managed to get onto the dais when the Chief Minister was addressing a gathering at Hemtabad on Thursday and it was considered as a breach of security.

Two separate probes were initiated soon after the incident, to identify the lapses that had led to the incident in Hemtabad and the top brass of the state police have pointed out what more they need to do, to check recurrence of such incidents in future.

So in Barasat, the first thing that has been done is to ensure that there is no sufficient gap in the security barricades, through which one can pass. Instructions have been given to security personnel to check the gap between bamboos, using which the security barricades are made.

The most crucial part is the D-Zone, that covers the dais from where the Chief Minister will address the gathering. The area just behind the dais has also been brought under the D-Zone and more police personnel will be deployed in the area.

There will also be more women police, close to the staircases leading to the dais.

More policemen will be deployed to keep watch on the movement of people in the area and there will be close monitoring through surveillance cameras as well.

Before reaching Kachari Maidan where she will also be inaugurating Jatra Utsav on Tuesday, the Chief Minister will be holding the administrative review meeting of North 24-Parganas district. Security has also been tightened up in and around the auditorium, where the administrative review meeting will be held.

Both the bomb and dog squads have initiated frisking work. At the same time, security on the route through which the Chief Minister will be passing, has also been tightened and the police are taking all necessary steps to leave no gap in the security arrangements during the visit of Banerjee to North 24-Parganas.