Cops at Kashi Vishwanath Temple’s sanctum are sporting dhoti kurtas. Here’s why

The temple falls in the police and security network’s “red zone” being a highly sensitive place of worship in the state from the security aspect.

IG Varanasi Deepak Ratan told The Indian Express, “This has been done for the time being because worshippers and the temple authorities were feeling uncomfortable with the presence of men in uniform. Complaints had been coming in and we must respect their sentiments.”

Ordinarily, around three or four police personnel are deployed in the sanctum which sees heavy footfall of worshipers from across the country. Ratan said the police uniform was unsettling “deeply religious people” in worship.

“Usually, for law and order duty, police ought to be in uniform. But there are times when according to the situation, like when on VIP security duty, police personnel are asked to wear civilian clothing. There is no bar or rule on when police are to sport civilian clothing,” Ratan said.

Additional SP Security Shailender Rai incharge of security at the temple premises said the neutral and uniform nature of the Khakhi was not being compromised since “this was a move undertaken with the police personnels’ consent and acceptance”. “Also, all the police personnel deployed across the temple premises are in uniform, so security has not been compromised with though the temple is in a red zone. It is only a couple of men in the sanctum who are wearing dhoti-kurta,” Rai said.

Police are also taking into account the “practical” aspect of this directive since milk and other items used during worship tend to soil police uniforms in the congest heart of the temple making it difficult for the personnel to replace their uniform frequently enough. Police personnel will be sporting any form of civilian clothing, not necessarily a dhoti kurta, which suits the atmosphere of worship in the sanctum sanctorum of the temple, Ratan said.

He said personnel were also being trained to be “behaviourally consonant with the place they are deployed at”, Varanasi being a big tourist centre. However, nowhere else in the city are police personnel, deployed to maintain law and order, dressed in civilian clothes.