Independence Day, dahi handi celebrations: 25,000 policemen to guard Mumbai

To tackle cases of offences, special teams from local police stations that will have women cops and special branch officials will move around in plain clothes

The Mumbai Police have formed a team of more than 25,000 cops to guard important locations on Tuesday, which will see both Independence Day and Dahi Handi celebrations. The State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) has also contributed personnel to the team.

To tackle cases of offences, special teams from local police stations that will have women cops and special branch officials will move around in plain clothes. “These teams have been asked to stay on guard in highly crowded areas where there are more chances of an untoward incident taking place,” said a senior police official requesting anonymity.

The police said there were no specific alerts issued for the police or public however internal circulars were sent to all police stations asking them to be alert and keep an eye on any suspicious activities in their jurisdiction.

Apart from the force, well over 5,000 CCTV cameras across the city and suburbs will serve as eyes and ears of Mumbai Police who will monitor the traffic as well as Govindas.

Rashmi Karandikar, spokesperson for Mumbai Police, said, “The Mumbai police, traffic police and SRPF will be part of the security bandobast. As Independence Day and Dahi Handi will be celebrated on Tuesday we have made appropriate security arrangements to ensure no untoward incident takes place.”

“We appeal to the general public to cooperate with the police by celebrating the festival peacefully and alerting us if they come across any suspicious activity,” she added.