Additional forces on roads as Kolkata braces for over 35 rallies on Monday

Kolkata, Jan 21 (PTI) Kolkata Police has taken a number of measures to prevent any untoward incidents in and around the city during West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee's 'Sampriti Rally' and 35 smaller processions here on Monday, coinciding with the consecration of the Ram temple in Ayodhya, according to a senior officer.

The officer said 4,000 policemen will be deployed on city roads and several traffic diversions have been planned to ensure that commuters do not face problems.

The proposed rallies will pass through Bhowanipore, Camac Street, Sealdah, Garfa, Patuli, Sakuntala Park, and the port areas, the officer added.

"Normally, we witness a heavy rush of office-goers on Mondays because it's the first day of the week. Tomorrow, since we have a large number of rallies, a decision has been made to deploy 4,000 policemen on the roads to ensure smooth traffic flow," the officer said.

Additional forces have been put on standby in each division under Kolkata Police jurisdiction, the officer added.

"All police stations have been instructed to remain alert throughout the day. Police stations where pujas and rallies are scheduled have been asked to be extra cautious," the officer told PTI.

All rallies will be videographed, and policemen will accompany them to ensure there is no disruption of law and order, the officer added.

For TMC's 'Sampriti Rally', which will start around 3 pm from Hazra crossing and pass through Hazra Road and Syed Amir Ali Avenue to reach Park Circus Maidan, there will be two layers of security due to the presence of the Bengal CM.

Most of the private schools located along the rally routes in the city have either suspended classes or arranged for virtual classes to ensure that neither students nor teachers face any difficulties.

Other schools along the route of the 'Sampriti Rally' have announced that they will be closed for the day, school sources confirmed. PTI SCH MNB