Centre okays 33 paramilitary companies for Ardh Kumbh

Sandeep Rawat

Tribune News Service

Haridwar, October 8

A heavy deployment of the mela force will be done for the upcoming Ardh Kumbh scheduled to be held in Haridwar between January and April next year.

To provide foolproof security, 33 paramilitary companies of the Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), Rapid Action Force (RAF), and the Shastra Seema Bal (SSB) will be deployed in the Kumbh mela zone falling in Haridwar, Rishikesh, Pauri Garhwal and Tehri Garhwal districts.

Ganesh Singh Martolia, DIG of Ardh Kumbh mela force, said paramilitary forces would play a pivotal role during Ardh Kumbh. The Union Home Ministry had approved deployment of seven companies each of the CRPF, the RAF, and the CISF and six each of the SSB and the ITBP in the mela zone.

From Uttar Pradesh, 20 companies of the PAC would be assisting 17 companies of the Uttarakhand PAC during the mela. “In the wake of a terror threat and expected arrival of a large number of pilgrims, the number of paramilitary forces has been increased compared to their strength in the last Ardh Kumbh fair in 2004. The mela force will also comprise 7,000 regular Uttarakhand Police personnel. This time, we have not asked for police personnel from other states,” Martolia said.

Shweta Chaubey, SP (traffic), Ardh Kumbh, said the mela force would comprise police personnel from all 13 districts of the state. The deployment of the mela force for Ardh Kumbh would be done in five phases considering the arrival of pilgrims. “The first phase deployment of forces will start on November 15, while the forces will be deployed during the second phase on December 15 onward. The deployment of forces during the third and fourth phases will begin on January 25 and February 25, respectively, next year. The total deployment of the mela force will be done from April 1 to 14 when the last and most crucial phase of the fair will be underway. The last phase will have festive baths on Somwati Amavasya and Ram Navami,” said Shweta.

To counter the terror threat, elite commandos of Uttarakhand’s ‘Guldaar’ unit, which has been formed on the lines of the National Security Guards (NSG), will be based in Haridwar during the fair. Temporary residential bases-cum-duty camps would be set up in the mela zone for paramilitary and PAC personnel.