Massive security in Ayodhya to foil VHP meeting

Over hundred activists arrested

The temple town of Ayodhya has virtually turned into a fortress, with massive security arrangements under way to prevent the proposed “sankalp” meeting of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad (VHP) in the state on Friday.

The borders of the Faizabad district as well as that of Ayodhya have been sealed. People and vehicles are being let in to the district only after strict checking, official sources said on Thursday.

Principal Secretary for Home, Anil Kumar Gupta, and state police chief Devraj Nagar are camping at Faizabad to monitor the arrangements, they said. In a massive police crackdown, over 100 VHP workers have been arrested so far, with scores of parishad leaders under house arrest.  Hordes of security personnel have been deployed at the VHP headquarters in  Karsevakpuram at Ayodhya, the sources said.

The town of Ayodhya has been divided into six zones for security purposes, with each zone under the command of a senior police official.

The police have conducted several raids of ashrams and other places at Ayodhya and Faizabad to round up VHP workers and leaders, who might have come to the town from outside through trains and other means.

According to officials here, senior VHP leaders Ram Vilas Vedanti and Suresh Das have been put under house arrest in Ayodhya. Action came from the government after intelligence inputs that the VHP was trying to amass workers and saints in Ayodhya to hold its “sankalp” meeting.

The VHP has, however, claimed that its meeting would be held as scheduled and over one-lakh people, including saints from different parts of the country, would be attending the meeting.

There were also reports of distribution of pamphlets by VHP workers in different parts of the town.

The sources said that prohibitory orders have been issued and the borders of the district are sealed to prevent entry of the participants.