Andhra steps up vigil at places of worship

The Andhra Pradesh government has ordered the police to secure all places of worship to avoid any untoward incident, especially in the light of the Antarvedi Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple chariot blaze, at a time when religious politics is raging in the state.

The police department has already initiated the process of asking priests and religious heads across the state to be vigilant and fix surveillance cameras in churches, temples, mosques.

In Prakasam and West Godavari districts, like all others, the police visited temples, churches and mosques, suggesting safety measures to the clergy as well as locals.

A Prakasam police official said the department is keeping 24x7 vigil at all places of worship in the district.


A couple of policemen were seen securing a Lord Hanuman temple at Parchur village, another temple at Komarole, a mosque in Kandukur town and a Telugu Baptist Church in Pamuru.

Similar scenes were seen in Epurupalem, PC Palli, Kanigi and other places in the district.

Meanwhile, Prakasam Superintendent of Police (SP), Siddharth Kaushal, has warned hate mongers that the police are keeping a strict vigil to thwart any opportunity for vested interests to exploit the situation.


"We are taking it very seriously on the ground. We are ensuring that no opportunity is given and everything is attended to promptly on ground, responded to promptly and no opportunity is given to exploit this situation," Kaushal told IANS.

He said police are also monitoring social media to look for troublemakers.

"We are drawing up a list of suspects who might want to capitalise on a provocation. We are keeping a close watch, taking everything very seriously on the ground," he asserted.


Besides vigilance, the police department is also engaging in community activities to foster brotherhood among people.

"We are trying to sort of bring together communities, mitigate the negative atmosphere. We will build it up," he said about Sadhbhavana, a programme for peace and harmony.

As part of Sadhbavana, police interacted with Imams in Chirala town and people associated with a temple at TV Palli and other places. - IANS