Hyderabad, February 14: Police personnel in plainclothes will keep a vigil on Bajrang Dal activists or other moral policing organisations staging protests at pubs and restaurants on Valentine’s Day celebrations.
Special teams of women constables have been constituted to maintain surveillance on eateries, parks and malls frequented by young people. “We are taking all precautionary measures to prevent confrontations between couples and protesters,” DCP (Central) Akun Sabharwal said on Sunday.
Apart from utilising the Lake Police personnel, special pickets will also be posted at People’s Plaza, Imax, Necklace Road, Sanjeevaiah Park and Tank Bund, he explained. Intelligence reports indicated that protesters may target popular hangouts and pubs in areas like Banjara Hills, Jubilee Hills, Himayathnagar, etc.
The Banjara Hills police have also identified places like City Center Mall, Cinemax and some pubs where protesters could create nuisance. “We have decided to intensify patrolling at all the vulnerable places,” ACP (Banjara Hills) R. Ravinder Reddy said.
Meanwhile, the Bajrang Dal has vowed not to allow any Valentine’s Day celebrations in twin cities. “We will oppose it tooth and nail because the concept of Valentine’s Day has come from the West,” said Bajrang Dal State co-convenor G. Ramesh Babu. The outfit has formed seven teams to stage protests in front of pubs and restaurants where the celebrations are organised. The outfit warned that couples ‘wandering’ on the day will be counselled and their marriages “performed” with the consent of parents.
-Agencies