Ram Lalla to have 24X7 security cover, only gunner & priest to be allowed near idol

On Wednesday evening, idol of Ram Lalla was taken inside temple premises and stationed at red zone using a crane.

Truck carrying the Ram idol on its way to the shrine in Ayodhya | Praveen Jain | ThePrint

New Delhi: Ram Lalla will have a dedicated gunner serving as personal bodyguard at all times in the red zone where the pujari (priest) is the only other person allowed to enter, ThePrint has learnt.

Security in Ayodhya has been divided into red and yellow zones, with the Ram Janmabhoomi temple complex placed under the first category.

“The gunner is a designated posting and was created as part of the security when the work at the Ram Temple had begun and the temporary idol was put in place. The gunner will work in shifts and has been stationed there to protect the idol,” a source in the Uttar Pradesh Police said.

The personnel designated as gunners will work in shifts but the idol will not be  left alone anytime, the source added.

On Wednesday evening, the idol of Ram Lalla was taken inside the temple premises and stationed at the red zone using a crane.

The idol arrived in a truck brought under heavy security cover. Five police vehicles escorted the truck, in addition to paramilitary personnel stationed in Ayodhya ahead of the ‘pran pratishtha (consecration)’ to be held Monday.

Local police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) are guarding the temple premises, including the main complex. Ayodhya is on high alert and security measures have been strengthened ahead of the consecration ceremony.

Around 8,000 police personnel will be on duty for security on 22 January, while CCTV cameras and anti-drone measures will be deployed at strategic positions for the high-profile event.

Further, a special unit including 10 top UP police officers from Special Task Force will be on duty. Chartered planes bring in designated guests, while green corridors will be created for VIP movement.

Guests will be allowed upon showing the ‘nimantran patra’ (invitation card) for the ceremony. More than 7,000 guests including politicians, artists, renowned figures from the fields of art, science, literature, cinema are expected to grace the ceremony.

Heavy vehicular movement will be restricted and special sanitised routes will be put in place connecting Ayodhya to Lucknow, Varanasi, and Gorakhpur.

(Edited by Tony Rai)