Ayodhya verdict: Centre promises all help to Maya

NEW DELHI: The Centre on Monday informed the Mayawati government in Uttar Pradesh that 52 companies of paramilitary forces have been rushed to the state to ensure that there was no law and order breakdown in the wake of the judgement in the Ayodhya title suit.

Responding to the concerns of the state government, home minister P Chidambaram is learnt to have called up senior BSP leader and Rajya Sabha member Satish Chandra Mishra on Wednesday, assuring him of all help. He, however, maintained that the 1.90 lakh state police personnel deployed by the state government across UP, and the 52 companies of paramilitary forces sent by the Centre to assist the state, was enough to tackle the situation.

Ms Mayawati had a few days ago written a letter to the Centre, complaining about the inadequate number of paramilitary forces sent by the Centre, and argued that the UPA government would have to take the blame if there was any communal flare-up in the state. She had requisitioned the services of 680 companies of central forces.

Keen to prevent the situation from spinning out of control in the wake of the judgement, the UP chief minister has taken a string of measures to avert any untoward incident. The state has deployed as many as 12 companies of PAC in each of the 18 police ranges, besides stationing paramilitary forces at sensitive places.

The district administration, according to senior UP police officials, has identified a set of key elements from both the sides, including members of the RSS-VHP-Bajrang Dal combine and the various Islamic organisations, and are keeping an eye on their movements.