Ayodhya verdict: Bengaluru calm but liquor ban stays

A flower vendor from Malleswaram watches the Ayodhya verdict on his phone. DH PHOTO/PUSHKAR V

Policemen outside a dargah in KR Market. DH PHOTO/ANUP RAGH T

Policemen outside a Ram temple in JJ Nagar. DH PHOTO/JANARDHAN B K

Many shops were shut in Shivajinagar. DH PHOTO/JANARDHAN B K

The city remained calm and there was no untoward incident on the day the Supreme Court ruled on the Ayodhya dispute. It was business as usual in most localities but many shops were shut in sensitive areas as scores of policemen patrolled the streets.

As schools and colleges remained closed, the city wore a peaceful look, with far fewer vehicles on Nrupathunga Road, Race Course Road, Okalipuram, KR Circle and other parts of the central business district.

More than 8,000 policemen, 50 KSRP and 34 CAR platoons, 1,800 home guards and civil defence volunteers besides CRPF personnel were deployed across the city.

Some sensitive areas in eastern and western Bengaluru, among them Shivajinagar, Fraser Town, Tannery Road and Chamarajpet, were especially patrolled. There was heavy security at the Kempegowda Bus Station as well as at railway and metro stations but the commuter footfall was anyway low. Ram temples were given extra security. The heavy security prompted many shopkeepers to close down until evening though police insisted that the shutdown was “voluntary”. The sale of liquor will remain prohibited in the city for two more days. The Excise Department has stepped in to ensure alcohol establishments are shut, as ordered by the Bengaluru Urban deputy commissioner.

Police Commissioner Bhaskar Rao thanked the citizens for maintaining peace but said security would remain tight for three more days in the wake of Eid Milad and Tipu Jayanti celebrations.

A DCP-level officer monitored social media posts but a source said no provocative or hate-filled messages were reported until Saturday night.

Amar Kumar Pandey, ADGP (Law and Order), said not a single untoward incident was reported from anywhere in the state.