Kolkata braces for 36 rallies today; 4,000 policemen deployed to ensure order

Kolkata, Jan 22 (PTI) Several arrangements, including deployment of 4,000 policemen, have been made to prevent any untoward incident in and around Kolkata during West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee's 'Sampriti Rally' and 35 smaller processions here on Monday, coinciding with the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, a senior officer said.

Traffic diversions have also been planned to ensure that commuters do not face problems.

The proposed rallies will pass through Bhowanipore, Camac Street, Sealdah, Garfa, Patuli, Sakuntala Park, and the port areas, the officer said.

"Normally, we witness a heavy rush of office-goers on Mondays because it's the first day of the week. Tomorrow, since we have a large number of rallies, a decision has been made to deploy 4,000 policemen on the roads to ensure smooth traffic flow," he said.

Additional forces have been put on standby in each division under the Kolkata Police jurisdiction.

"All police stations have been instructed to remain alert throughout the day. Police stations where pujas and rallies are scheduled have been asked to be extra cautious," the officer told PTI.

All rallies will be videographed, and policemen will accompany them to ensure there is no disruption of law and order, he said.

For TMC's 'Sampriti Rally', which will start around 3 pm from Hazra crossing in south Kolkata and pass through Hazra Road and Syed Amir Ali Avenue to reach Park Circus Maidan, there will be two layers of security due to the presence of the Bengal CM.

Most of the private schools located along the rally routes in the city have either suspended classes or arranged for virtual classes to ensure that neither students nor teachers face any difficulty.

Other schools along the route of the 'Sampriti Rally' have announced that they will be closed for the day, school sources confirmed. PTI