Jaya visit kept police on their toes

By Our Staff Reporter

THRISSUR, JULY 3. The Tamil Nadu Chief Minister, Ms. J. Jayalalithaa, left for Chennai from the Cochin International Airport at Nedumbassery at 6.55 a.m. today after a day of hectic tour in three pilgrim centres in Kerala.

Police had a tough time making security arrangements for the Chief Minister's visit as she had deferred the trip four times. Besides, the developments in Tamil Nadu had strengthened the feeling that Ms. Jayalalithaa would defer the visit again, and the police had practically dismantled their security schemes.

However, when the announcement came on Sunday night that she would visit the temple on Monday, officials of the Police Department were sent scurrying to organise men and material including vehicles to implement the security plan.

Even in Guruvayur it was the swift and restrained action by the local police that averted a major tragedy during the protest organised by the BJP-Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM) workers against Ms. Jayalalithaa. The police had anticipated some trouble in Guruvayur as the BJP had called for a hartal and the BJYM had announced its decision to block Ms. Jayalalithaa.

But the manner in which BJYM activists held their protest seemed to have caught the police unawares. The protesters, numbering about 15, had masqueraded as devotees and had advanced considerably before the police could block them. Had the protesters advanced little more, they would have reached the inner cordon of the security ring of Ms. Jayalalitha which is manned by the sten-gun wielding National Security Guards (NSG).

But the situation was handled effectively after the police resorted to lathicharge. The NSG personnel, though appeared jolted in the beginning, quickly regained their composure when they realised that the protesters did not have any weapons and that the local police were taking care of the situation.

Ms. Jayalalithaa left Kannur at 9.00 p.m. on Monday and proceeded by road to Nedumbassery to return to Chennai by the special aircraft which had brought her here.

The police had made security arrangements throughout her route. However, Ms. Jayalaithaa's associates wanted to visit Guruvayur again on her way back from Kannur, at about 2.30 a.m. on Tuesday. But the Kerala police turned down the suggestion in view of the security risks involved.

The Kerala Police had also kept various Government guest houses ready en route from Kannur to Nedumbassery, including the Ramanilyam in Thrissur, in case the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister wanted to take a break during the journey. However, according to reports, Ms. Jayalalithaa did not break the journey at any point, even for taking dinner.

The DIG central region, Mr. Sankar Reddy, and the district SP, Mr. Balram Kumar Upadhyaya, personally supervised the security arrangements on her return trip on Monday night and Tuesday morning.

The BJP observed `Black day' in Thrissur district on Tuesday in protest against the police action against their activists who had held a demonstration during Jayalalithaa's visit to the Guruvayur temple.

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