Ramlila Maidan a ticking bomb with no checks

NEW DELHI: While the number of Anna Hazare supporters thronging to the Ramlila Maidan during the day crossed the one-lakh mark, security arrangements on the ground did not seem adequate. With hundreds of people constantly entering and leaving the premises through 12-odd gates, the ground was a ticking bomb. Still, most of the women were not checked at the gates and baggage checks were not done uniformly.

In a spot check done by TOI, it was found that the woman officers positioned at the gates to frisk women remained lax. The segregated booth at some of the entrances for conducting frisking bore a deserted look. Bags were kept inside the booths, while women entered without being frisked. The cops refused to give the exact number of personnel deployed for security on Sunday even as the day saw the maximum turnout of supporters. “Adequate staff has been deployed. No one has firearms or lathis,” said a tight-lipped deputy commissioner of police (central) Vivek Kishore.

The coming and going of swarms of supporters on the ground has made security a must. “People are, for the most part, peaceful. Some rowdy elements on the streets are blocking traffic, speeding in motorbikes without helmets, sitting on top of cars, etc. We have augmented the police personnel whenever the crowd has swelled,” said a senior police officer.

The police have stepped up patrolling at the official residences of the MPs staying in Lutyens’ Delhi. A police picket has been set up outside the Teen Murti residence of Kapil Sibal.

In view of the protesters chanting slogans outside the houses of many politicians, the New Delhi district police have increased patrolling at all the roads where houses of politicians are located. K C Dwivedi, additional commissioner of police (New Delhi) said, “Pickets have been set up at various places and patrolling has been increased.”