Over 1 lakh cops deployed for security on R-Day in TN

More than one lakh police personnel will be deployed on security duty across Tamil Nadu, including 6,800 police in Chennai.

A five-tier security arrangement has been put in place on Kamarajar Salai on the Marina Beach front where Governor RN Ravi will unfurl the National Flag in front of the statue of Mahatma Gandhi tomorrow in the presence of Chief Minister MK Stalin, other Ministers, officials and representatives of three defence services.

On the orders of Greater Chennai City Police Commissioner Shankar Jiwal and under the supervision of Additional Commissioners, T Senthil Kumar, N Kannan and Kapilkumar C Saratkar, the city police have made elaborate bandobust arrangements to prevent any untoward incident during the celebrations.

Drones will also be deployed as part of fool-proof security measures.

Jiwal said heightened vigil with the deployment of additional police forces were put in place at airports, railway stations, bus stations, beaches, shopping malls, temples, mosques, churches and other places of worship.

Metal detectors were installed in all the railway stations and the luggage of passengers are being thoroughly scanned. Those with valid tickets alone were allowed entry into the railway stations by following the COVID protocols, police sources said.

Periodic checks were being conducted at lodges and hotels and their owners were asked to share information about staying of any suspicious person.

Patrolling and vehicle checks have been intensified across the city and all those entering the city were subjected to thorough checks.

Meanwhile, a report from Madurai said security measures have been stepped up across the Southern districts and along the entire South Eastern Coast of the State ahead of the country’s 73rd Republic Day celebrations.

Though there is no specific input to suggest a terror threat, appropriate additional protective security measures must be maintained for a period of time, police sources said.

The Kudankulam Nuclear Power Project (KKNPP) and the ISRO Propulsion Complex (IPRC) at Mahendragiri in Tirunelveli district, VO Chidambaranar Port at Thoothukudi, Madurai airport, besides the historic temples, major railway stations, bus stands, railway over bridges, including the Pamban rail bridge that connects the mainland and Rameswaram town, and all the vital installations have come under tight security.

Security has also been scaled up at Thanjavur Air Force Station, Tiruchirapalli International Airport and all other vital installations in the central region of the State.

A multi-layered security cover was put in place in the Indian territorial waters along the southeastern coast supported by ‘air and sea’ surveillance by the Indian Navy, Indian Coast Guard and Tamil Nadu Marine Police.

The Navy and ICG were maintaining a close vigil along the International Maritime Boundary Line to thwart any kind of intrusion by anti-social elements via the sea route.