New Delhi: Bharatiya Janata Party’s PM candidate Narendra Modi will address “Vijay Shankhnaad” rally in Agra today. Elaborate security arrangements have been put in place for the Gujarat Chief Minister. National Security Guard commandos, Special Task Force personnel from Gujarat and more than 1,000 UP policemen have turned the Kothi Meena Bazar ground into a fortress. While metal detectors were installed at the entrance gates, parking slots were earmarked several kilometre away from the venue.
Security forces have been facing a daunting task to guard the BJP’s PM candidate, who is considered to be on the hit list of terror outfit Indian Mujahideen. A series of small bombs killed six people at a rally the Gujarat Chief Minister held in the city of Patna on October 27. Four days before the explosions at recent Patna rally, the Intelligence Bureau sent a letter to state authorities warning them of the threat to Modi, although they did not have specific information.
An elite team protecting Modi has been ordered to secure all public meetings using the same tactics of the Special Protection Group that guards former and serving prime ministers and their families along the lines of the US Secret Service. Modi’s now has three layers of protection: one group to take on any attackers, a second to provide cover and a third to get him to safety. Meanwhile, a controversy has been sparked with BJP deciding to felicitate its MLAs Sangeet Som and Suresh Rana, accused of inciting communal violence in Muzaffarnagar, at Modi’s rally.
Som, who was arrested for his alleged role in inciting communal violence in Muzaffarnagar, was recently released on bail by a Deoband court. He was accused of uploading a fake video that played a role in provoking communal tension in Muzaffarnagar. He is also facing allegations of having made inflammatory speeches. Rana was arrested from Lucknow on September 20 for his alleged role in fanning the communal violence which left 62 persons dead and rendered 40,000 homeless. He was later released on bail.
Bureau Report
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