Police patrolling and deployment increased across Karnataka from January 21 ahead of the consecration of the Ram Lalla idol at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya.
The state police have deployed 150 battalions of Karnataka State Reserve Police (KSRP) and 250 companies of City Armed Reserve (CAR) and District Armed Reserve (DAR) in sensitive towns and points across the state, including Bengaluru. Security deployment has been particularly beefed up in the communally sensitive Coastal Karnataka, Shivamogga, Chikkamagalur, Hubballi, Belagavi, Vijayapura and certain pockets in Bengaluru city. “We have mapped all past communal disturbances and beefed up security in those places,” a senior official said.
The state police have not given permission to neither any celebratory procession nor any protest on January 22. “There were many requests before us to permit celebratory processions, but we have rejected all of them. But Vishwa Hindu Parishath themselves have appealed to devotees not to hold any rallies and celebrate in individual homes. We had not got any requests for protests for Monday,” a senior police official overseeing the bandobast for January 22 across the state said.
