E-Paper
Blasts: Fear haunts citizens here
The VARANASI blasts seem to have reverberated in this city as well, spreading apprehension and fear among the people in general. Frisking exercise and search operations conducted by the men in uniform immediately following the blasts and a day after have alerted citizens.
The VARANASI blasts seem to have reverberated in this city as well, spreading apprehension and fear among the people in general.
Frisking exercise and search operations conducted by the men in uniform immediately following the blasts and a day after have alerted citizens.
Memories of Phulpur incident five years ago when three persons harbouring terrorists and their arms were caught are still etched in their mind.
The level of apprehension in the mind of people can be gauged from the happenings which took place at the Junction station here Thursday and which kept the cops and security agencies on their toes for the whole day and even in the night.
First it was the plastic container which created a scare at the railway station premises. What made matters worse was the dissemination of this information by some people on their mobile phones which created a scare of sorts in some parts of the city.
This big plastic container containing some packets was found in the passenger hall. No sooner had a person uttered that it could be carrying a bomb that people started running for cover. Within minutes the place wore a deserted look forcing GRP to take over the situation. A dog squad was summoned along with the bomb disposal team which after a check declared that nothing was wrong.
But this assurance failed to satisfy the people immediately. They took quite some time to overcome the hidden fear. The exercise kept cops busy for over two hours. Reservation counters also remained deserted during this period as no person was able to muster courage to approach the counters during all this period.
Hardly had the situation become normal when another happening sent shivers down the spine of many at the railway station.This time it was an abandoned bag which was found on the stairs of the waiting hall. This resulted in the GRP blocking the stairs. A search of the bag revealed some clothes and books kept in it.
Another scare was created shortly after this when some passengers mistook a pressure cooker for a bomb on board the Prayagraj Express which leaves for Delhi at 9.30 pm.
Such was the scare that many passengers ran away from the platform in panic.
earch revealed an empty pressure cooker.
However, so panicky were the passengers that authorities concerned took a long time to convince people that all was well.
A passenger expressing his dissatisfaction with the manner in which cops function said, they (cops) either act when there is a scare or when some happening takes place.
In between this they hardly appear bothered over the goings on. They have no expertise to nip things in the bud. All they can do is to harass people by suspecting them, he added with disdain.
