Maintaining peace: ‘Police to ensure four-tier security during Muharram’

DPO Bahawalpur says no negligence of duty will be tolerated

BAHAWALPUR: District Police Officer Bahawalpur Dr Muhammad Akhtar Abbas on Saturday said a comprehensive security plan has been chalked out to maintain peace and security in Muharram.

He said as many as 250 mourning processions would be held in the city and out of which 17 have been declared sensitive while 575 majalis (religious congregations) would be held out of which one is declared sensitive. “More than 2,000 police officials along with volunteers will observe their duties,” he said.

While issuing directions to the SDPOs and SHOs, the DPO said the officers should ensure the implementation of security plan issued, brief the officials before the start of their duties and inform them about the sensitivity of their duties.

“Duty should be observed attentively so that no unpleasant incident takes place. Considering the current law and order situation across the country, security duties hold too much importance especially duties during Muharram and no negligence will be tolerated,” he warned the officers.

“SDPOs and SHOs should ensure the attendance of officials deployed on duties and in case of shortage of staff, administrative committees should be contacted for deploying volunteers on duties while SHOs should stay in contact with peace committee and business community along with CPLC members on tehsil and police station level so that any issue can be resolved through complete coordination.

He also directed SDPOs and SHOs to visit each route of procession beforehand and ensure that duties should be assigned on high-rise buildings.

“Streets linking to the routes of processions should be barricaded with barbed wire and do not let procession go through any way other than the decided route. All the participants of processions should be searched completely. Police officers must ensure that vehicles are parked at proper distance from the routes of processions.”

He directed the officers that all such locations where women majalis were being held, lady police officials should be deployed on duty along with lady volunteers so that women participating in processions could be searched. “All the processions should be given four-tier security, hotels, guest houses and other such establishment located on routes of processions should be searched and monitored continuously,” he said.

“All the people involved in the use of loudspeakers, wall chalking, spread of hate material, hate speeches, display of weapons and aerial firing should be dealt with as per the law. Control room will be established at DPO office which will remain functional from first to 10th of Muharram under the supervision of DSP Legal Kanwar Muhammad Qasim.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 24^th, 2017.