GHAZIABAD: Over 10,000 police personnel have been deployed in Noida and Ghaziabad in the aftermath of the communal clash that erupted in Delhi’s Jehangirpuri during a
Hanuman Jayanti procession on Saturday night.
The cops are checking vehicles at the borders and are also conducting searches at hotels and malls.
Separate teams were formed to monitor social media posts that could potentially disrupt social harmony.
“No sooner did we come to know about the violence in Delhi, we deployed our forces at the borders. We have been checking each and every vehicle entering Noida. We have upped vigil in the sensitive areas too,” said Love Kumar, the joint commissioner of police in Noida.
In neighbouring Ghaziabad, as many as 5,000 cops along with two battalions of
PAC
were out on the streets. Like in Noida, special teams were formed to monitor social media posts. Muniraj G, the Ghaziabad SSP, said he had asked the station house officers of all police stations to conduct checks at hotspots and prepare teams for any kind of emergency.
A senior police officer said the district had 14 highly sensitive areas, such as Loni, Kaila Bhatta, Muradnagar and Masuri. “A heavy police force, including PAC personnel, have been deployed in these sensitive areas. We have also conducted meetings in these places. Cyber teams have been keeping watch on over 500 social media accounts. There are over 100 people who are under our surveillance,” the officer said.
The police also met community leaders and urged them to ensure people in their area maintained law and order. Apart from hotels and malls, checks were conducted at the railway station and bus stands.
In the middle of this charged-up atmosphere, a group of Muslim youths in Harola village presented a picture of amity. They distributed water packets, soft drink bottles and glasses of juice among participants of a procession led by the Vishwa Hindu Parishad on Sunday morning.
Uma Nandan
, the VHP unit chief in Noida, said around 5,000 people took part in the procession. “We started the procession from Sector 44. Our first was near the Botanical Garden metro station. The yatra ended at the Sector 34 Shiv Mandir,” he said. “It was a nice gesture from these youths. But this was not the first time they showed such amity. In almost every such procession and festival, Muslims here participate in large numbers,” he added.