Odisha to seek RAF for Rath Yatra

Bhubaneswar: In a bid to further strengthen security in Puri during the annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath which will be held on July 14 this year, the State government has decided to request the Ministry of Home Affairs to provide at least two companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF).

"MHA will be requested to spare two companies of RAF for deployment in the Rath Yatra," Odisha Director General of Police R P Sharma said after a preliminary preparatory meeting.

Sharma said that three companies (one company comprises 800 to 1000 personnel) of Odisha Swift Action Force (OSAF) will be deployed on the Grand Road in Puri in front of the Shri Jagannath Temple during the festival for effective crowd management.

It was decided at the meeting to have an inter-security agency coordination meeting shortly involving NSG to chalk out the plan and programme for the festival, Sharma said.

In view of the security threat during the festival, the Odisha Police has also decided to install more number of CCTVs on the Grand Road and other strategic locations of the City during the festival period for better surveillance on the crowd movement.

Special emphasis will be given for the safety and security of women during the festival, the official said adding that adequate number of police personnel in civil dress will be deployed on the day of Rath Yatra and also on the return car festival day.

A mock drill will be carried out just before the festival involving all the security forces to make the arrangement error free, an official said.

Elaborate arrangements will be made for the inland and coastal security, man power and force requirements, material/ gadget requirement and other logistics.

(With PTI inputs)