State asked to step up security measures

MUMBAI, January 20: The Centre has asked the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party Government in the State to step up security measures with imme...

MUMBAI, January 20: The Centre has asked the Shiv Sena-Bharatiya Janata Party Government in the State to step up security measures with immediate effect, following threats from pro-Inter Services Intelligence ISI fundamentalists to either disrupt the ensuing Parliamentary elections or eliminate a prominent pro-Hindu leader.

quot;We have been receiving routine reports from the Centre on ISI8217;s activities. However, on the basis of a specific Intelligence Bureau report, the Centre has asked us to step up vigilance, particularly during the elections. There is also a report stating that some fundamentalists from Jammu and Kashmir have already entered the metropolis for the purpose,quot; a senior Government official told The Indian Express.

The official said that the alliance Government had already taken stringent measures to tackle the situation. quot;We have deployed additional police force in sensitive areas. Besides, security for Sena supremo Bal Thackeray, who is in the Z-plus category, has been tightened. We have also reviewed the security for prominent pro-Hindu leaders and important persons at a high-level meeting,quot; the official said, adding that all possible steps had been taken to maintain law and order.

The Centre has also directed the Government to step up security measures, particularly during the visit of BJP leaders Atal Behari Vajpayee, L K Advani and Murli Manohar Joshi to the State on the eve of Parliamentary elections. All of them are on the hit-list of fundamentalists. The official said that the State Government had sought the assistance of the Central Reserve Police Force and the Rapid Action Force to tackle any eventuality during polling. quot;We have identified about 2,000 hyper-sensitive booths, spread over 24 constituencies. Therefore, we will require additional police force to maintain peace during the elections,quot; the official said.

The official8217;s comments comes a day after State Chief Secretary P Subramaniam directed police officers, Election Commission officers, State Government officials and district collectors to ensure peaceful elections in the State. In a meeting of bureaucrats held on Monday at the State Government Guest House at Malabar Hill, Subramaniam explained the roles that each one of them had to play.