Shivanandan said paramilitary troops were being deployed in sensitive areas of the state. Anticipating trouble by miscreants after the court verdict, police have prepared a list of people with previous records of indulgence in violence. They would be detained as a precautionary measure, the state police chief said.
According to state Home Ministry sources, violence, arson and other incidents taking place after the verdict cannot be ruled out. Therefore, all precautionary measures are being taken to cope with any situation. To maintain peace and harmony, leaves of all police personnel have been canceled and those on leave have been asked to immediately report for duty.
Personnel of the Central Reserve Police Force, Rapid Action Police Force and State Reserve Police Force have been deployed in sensitive towns of the state. In addition to those, 25,000 personnel from the Home Guards will be there to assist the police and the paramilitary forces in maintaining law and order.
To avert any untoward situation, police commissioners and district superintendents of police are interacting with prominent citizens and politicians to maintain peace and communal harmony after the verdict is announced.
Shivanandan visited Aurangabad, Malegaon, Akkalkuwa, Shahada, Dhule, Jalgaon, Nandurbar and some other sensitive areas to take stock of the situation.
Meanwhile, all state-run government hospitals have been told to be in a state of full preparedness to cope with any emergency. All doctors have been instructed to be on 24-hour alert to attend to emergencies.
Chief Minister Ashok Chavan and Home Minister R.R. Patil will be monitoring the situation from the special control room set up in the state secretariat, while all Cabinet and state ministers have been told to be in their respective constituency to ensure that there is no outbreak of communal violence.
Though police officials appear confident that there would be no trouble on a larger scale, some schools and colleges have decided to close their institutions for two days as a precautionary measure.
