Bahraich turned into a fortress for Narendra Modi's rally

BAHRAICH: The UP government on Friday threw an unprecedented security blanket around the Bahraich venue of Narendra Modi's public meeting. The administration chose to leave nothing to chance following a series of central intelligence alerts on the possibility of terrorist strikes at the Gujarat CM's rallies.

To make sure arrangements are foolproof, two Gujarat IPS officers inspected the venue two days before the event. They discussed security issues with the UP Police and suggested shifting the helipad. The district authorities carried out the changes. In another first, the innermost security cordon of Modi's security detail comprised NSG commandos, who were flown in much ahead of the BJP's PM candidate. Sources confirmed no UP Police personnel were engaged for this duty. The state ATS kept watch over the rally, setting up a temporary control room with state-of-the-art gadgets for electronic surveillance. - by Pervez Iqbal Siddiqui