With an intelligence input about the possibility of pro-united-Andhra supporters trying to immolate themselves or resort to arson in the event of the Bill on Telangana being passed in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, the Delhi Police took additional security measures around Parliament and deployed several of its Police Control Room vans in the area with blankets and portable fire extinguishers.
The security in New Delhi area, which is beefed up during the Parliament sessions, was boosted further after a man poured kerosene on himself while raising slogans in front of Telangana Rashtra Samithi (TRS) chief K. Chandrasekhar Rao’s official residence at Tughlaq Road here on Monday evening.
According to the police, Satyanarayana Reddy, who hails from the Ranga Reddy district, was in an inebriated state.
“Even though he did not try to immolate himself there, we took him into custody under preventive sections,” said the officer.
Consequent to this, the police took precautionary measures and even pressed extra fire tenders at several locations in the Lutyens’ Zone. Additional personnel were deployed outside the residences of all the Andhra Pradesh MPs. Arrangements were also made in the adjoining Central district.
As many as 13 companies of policemen were deployed in the New Delhi area.
All the roads leading to the Rashtrapati Bhavan, Parliament House and the Prime Minister’s residence were blocked and security tightened through deployment of personnel in civilian clothes as well.
Special Commissioner of Police (Law and Order) Deepak Mishra and senior officers of the New Delhi Range also visited Vijay Chowk in the evening to assess the security arrangements. Many senior officers, including Additional Deputy Commissioners of Police from other districts, were also deployed to monitor the security arrangements.
No untoward incident was reported till late evening.
