Over 12,000 police personnel deployed in southern districts ahead of Stalin’s visit to Pasumpon village

Police deploy 12,000 personnel in TN ahead of CM Stalin's visit to Pasumpon village. Prohibitory orders in place; special control room, CCTV cameras, body cameras, vehicle checks, vehicle passes issued. Parties vying to show strength in southern districts ahead of 2024 LS election.

Ahead of Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M.K. Stalin’s visit to Pasumpon village in Ramanathapuram district on Monday (October 30) to participate in the 116th Muthuramalinga Thevar Jayanthi and the 61st guru puja ceremony, the police have made elaborate security arrangements, deploying 12,000 personnel at vantage locations across many southern districts of the State.

With prohibitory orders (Section 144 under the Code of Criminal Procedure) in place, the police have set up a series of guidelines for visitors. Senior police officers on bandobust duty since Friday said apart from the Inspector General (IG) of Police (South Zone) Narendran Nayar, there are five Deputy Inspector Generals (DIGs) of Police, 25 superintendents of police and other rank officers on round-the-clock duty.

Director General of Police (DGP) Shankar Jiwal is expected to visit the Pasumpon village on Sunday to oversee the arrangements, the police said, and added that he could accompany Mr. Stalin from Madurai to Ramanathapuram district on Monday. A. Arun, Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order), is camped in Madurai and visited Pasumpon village already.

The police said they had installed a special control room in the district. Taxis and two-wheelers are banned, and any violation will be viewed seriously. There are three drone cameras on surveillance. The police have also installed 100 closed circuit television (CCTV) cameras in Kamudi and Pasumpon villages and 37 special police checkposts have been set up for vehicle checks and other security procedures.

A senior officer said they had given 300 body cameras to the personnel who would be patrolling in public transports and at other identified trouble-prone pockets in the region. A total of 57 two-wheelers and 53 four-wheelers would be on patrol duty on highways and at inter-district points.

People intending to visit the village have been issued vehicle passes and those without passes will not be permitted at any cost, they said, and added that last year, 294 cases were booked and 280 vehicles were impounded for violations.

The political parties and their leaders, Thevar outfits, and other organisations have been given exclusive slots to pay homage at the samadhi in Pasumpon. With the Lok Sabha election scheduled to take place in May 2024, the parties are vying with each other to show their strength in the southern districts during this event.