RAMANATHAPURAM

Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) K. Jayanth Murali reviewed security arrangements for the peaceful conduct of the 62nd death anniversary of Dalit leader Immanuel Sekaran as the Madras Institute of Technology (MIT), Anna University, operated the unmanned aerial vehicle (UAV), deployed as part of enhanced security.

The ADGP, who reviewed the security arrangements with Inspector General (South Zone) K.P. Shanmuga Rajeswaran and senior officials, including six DIGs and 20 SPs, in Paramakudi on Tuesday, asked the officials to strictly follow the guidelines issued by the district administration and the district police and ensure smooth conduct of the event on Wednesday.

Stating that he was satisfied with the arrangements, he said police officers, who were in-charge of different sectors, should maintain vigil and ensure that no vehicle carrying volunteers passed through the banned routes and prohibited areas. They should exercise restraint while dealing with the crowd, he said. The ADGP had been camping in Paramakudi since Monday.

Superintendent of Police Omprakash Meena said deployment of about 5,000 police personnel, including forces drawn from the Armed Reserve Police and Tamil Nadu Special Police, began on Tuesday. Bomb detection and disposal, sniffer dog and anti-sabotage squads carried out checks at the Samadhi site, he added.

The ADGP and senior officials also inspected the test-flying of the UAV, deployed for aerial surveillance to help the police monitor and mange the crowd and vehicle movement. Jeffri Jackson, drone pilot from the Centre for Aerospace Research (CAR), MIT, said an advanced version of ‘Quadcopter’ type UAV was deployed this year.

The vehicle with 10X zoom camera with three axis gimbal could send ‘1084 resolution ultra HD four K images’, he said, adding it could capture even the registration numbers of vehicles. The UAV could fly up to a height of 400 metres and cover a range of three km. The vehicle would be airborne for 40 minutes and send photos and videos to the police control room and CAR’s ground control, he added.