All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) general secretary Jayalalithaa has asked the police to withdraw additional security provided to her immediately after her party's landslide victory in the Assembly elections.
As party functionaries, bureaucrats and industrialists lined up at Poes Garden to call on the Chief Minister-in-waiting, the Chennai Police deployed a posse of police personnel at her residence.
The first instruction that came from Ms. Jayalalithaa's house on Saturday was to withdraw the additional police strength. It was also conveyed that she would not like traffic to be blocked along the VIP route when she travelled.
When Ms. Jayalalithaa started from her residence in the usual ‘ex-CM convoy' around 3 p.m. on Saturday, traffic was not blocked on R.K. Salai till the AIADMK headquarters at Royapettah.
“She does not want any stoppage of traffic for her convoy. There was no deployment of additional manpower at the AIADMK leader's house,” Additional Commissioner of Police (Traffic) M. Ravi told The Hindu .
However, when Ms. Jayalalithaa proceeded towards Anna Statue, traffic was blocked for a few minutes on roads leading to Anna Salai.
“She is protected under the ‘Z-Plus' scale of security and certain safety measures are imperative. There can be no compromise on anti-sabotage checks, frisking of visitors/baggage and ring-around security,” a senior police officer said.
Along the convoy route, Ms. Jayalalithaa met party cadres and received bouquets at many points.
Jubilant party workers escorted her convoy in cars, autorickshaws and motorcycles.
The crowd at Poes Garden was confined to party functionaries from across the State.
Late on Friday night, the office of the Director General of Police issued instructions to all Commissioners of Police and Superintendents of Police in the State not to leave their respective headquarters to avert post-poll violence.
