Metal detector is a show piece at Hanumant Niketan

THE TWIN blasts at Varanasi followed by a low density bomb explosion at historic Jama Masjid in Delhi rocked the entire country. But here at Allahabad it seems that 'unholy' terror attack is waiting to happen at the important religious centres, in order to shake district administration and police department out of its apparent complacency. This is when the bloody terror attack on SankatMochan temple at Varanasi allegedly had a Phulpur connection which the cops unfolded.

THE TWIN blasts at Varanasi followed by a low density bomb explosion at historic Jama Masjid in Delhi rocked the entire country. But here at Allahabad it seems that 'unholy' terror attack is waiting to happen at the important religious centres, in order to shake district administration and police department out of its apparent complacency. This is when the bloody terror attack on SankatMochan temple at Varanasi allegedly had a Phulpur connection which the cops unfolded.

HT Image

To start with, the five decades old Hanumat Niketan in the heart of Civil Lines where in the name of security only one metal detector has been placed outside the entrance of main temple hall. But there is no security guard or a police officer to ensure that all the people pass through the metal detector only.

What's more, there is also no one to check the indicators of the metal detector to ensure that the men and women passing through the gate are not carrying any deadly weapon or a dangerous explosive. In fact it is more a source of entertainment for small children who enjoy the 'beep' sound every time they pass through the detector.

The temple which remains packed with over 5000 devotees including some VIPs on every Tuesday and Saturday has three main gates for entry and exit. But one can find police personnel and sometimes a traffic cop only outside the main gate near Civil Lines crossing. More often they are found gossiping and sitting in a quite relaxed manner, instead keeping a watchful eye on any suspected person entering the temple. The temple spread in seven acres has four main buildings, with two having the statue of Hanuman and Shivlings. But apart from the main temple building, the other three are without any security arrangements and provide an easy entry to all the people. Even the boundary wall encircling the temple is barely 5.5 feet in height with no barbed wires to protect the place.