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VHP ups the ante at Krishna Janmasthan in Mathura, too

Security has been tightened at the two shrines of Sri Krishna Janmasthan in Mathura in view of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad's decision to perform Giri Goverdhan Parikrama there on December 6.

The police is conducting searches at hotels, dhabas and dharamshalas to pre-empt any attempt at disrupting peace in the pilgrim city.

Senior Superintendent of Police Rajeev Krishna told the media today that additional police and paramilitary forces have been requisitioned for the city.

Two additional superintendents of police, eight deputy SPs, 80 sub-inspectors, 250 constables and ten companies of the PAC would be deployed near the shrines on December 6, he said.

A vigil would be maintained at the bus stand, railway station and at sensitive places to check the movement of VHP activists towards Sri Krishna Janmasthan, he said.

Darshan in a group at the shrines has been banned.

Meanwhile, the army, led by Brigadier K Mahadevan of Core I, surveyed the area around the two shrines.

The VHP is organising the parikrama as part of its mass awakening programme to ''liberate'' the Janmasthan. A delegation under VHP district president Rajesh Chaudhari met district magistrate Shashi Prakash Goel to request that the parikrama be allowed.

Members of the Idgah Committee, under Prof Z Hassan, have said that they have no objection to the parikrama but would oppose all attempts to ''liberate'' the shrines.

UNI

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