Heavy police bandobast for Mecca Masjid blast anniversary

In the wake of the 10th anniversary of the Mecca Masjid bomb blast case on May 18, the South Zone police have made heavy bandobast across the Old City . More than a 1,000 policemen have been deployed to keep strict vigil even as armed pickets have been posted at communally-sensitive points.

The police contingent is expected to include five additional deputy commissioners of police, five assistant commissioners of police, 50 inspectors, 100 sub-inspectors and other police officers.Additional forces, including contingents of Rapid Action Force (RAF) and the 20 platoons of the Telangana State Special Police, have also been pressed into action at all vulnerable pockets, police said.

This, despite there being no specific intelligence input suggesting any breach of peace so far. Yet, cops on duty have been



asked to stay alert and not move around alone in the sensitive places, officials added.

The security arrangement were chalked out during a high-level meeting of police officials held on Wednesday , where Swati Lakra, additional commissioner of police (Crime and SIT), and Avinash Mohanty, deputy commissioner of police (Detective Department), were put in-charge of the security across South Zone. “Since there is no specific threat, we are confident that the anniversary will pass off peacefully ,“ said K Babu Rao, additional deputy commissioner of police, South Zone.

Meanwhile, on Wednesday, the accused in the blast case Nabakumar Sarkar aka Swamy Aseemanand, who was released on bail a month ago, appeared before the special designated court for NIA cases at Nampally , where the trial is on.