The entire district has been thrown under a thick security blanket with not less than 6,000 policemen on the ground for preempting any potential devious design by unscrupulous elements for sabotage or creating communal discord in the wake of the apex court verdict on the Babri Masjid-Ram Janmabhoomi litigation on Saturday.
Men on duty have been heavily armed with enough stocks of riot fighting equipment, including water cannon and tear gas shells.
“Every police station has been assigned a three member striking force in addition to a dedicated striking force under my direct command, which will rush to quell any commotion reported within any police station limits in the city. Apart from the strikers, men in riot gear have been deployed around police stations in sensitive locations,” said Inspector General of Police and District Police Chief (Kochi City) Vijay Sakhare. Besides, police have set up up pickets at all sensitive locations.
The Cyberdome of the Kochi City Police Commissionerate is actively patrolling the social media and the Internet for communally loaded and divisive posts and the digital identity of people posting them. “The moment we notice something communally divisive we will swoop down on the persons concerned. We have already requested the Union government to take down some offensive pages,” said Mr. Sakhare.
Police remain on high alert in the Ernakulam rural limits as well. “We have put up barricades along the roads and intense vehicle checking is underway. We are not allowing people to mobilise for organising protests or celebrations of any kind. We are closely watching the situation,” said K. Karthik, District Police Chief (Ernakulam Rural).
Anti-sabotage teams have been deployed in railway stations, bus stands, markets and other public places for quelling any potential for trouble. The social media also remains under constant surveillance, said Mr. Karthik.
It is learned that community organisations have assured the police that they will not organise any kind of protest or celebrations no matter what the verdict is.
