Cops conduct flag march through 'sensitive areas' with eye on Holi

RANCHI: Ahead of Holi on Tuesday, city police on Sunday conducted flag march on the streets as part of confidence-building measures among the public.
Officials of district police, Rapid Action Force and Jharkhand Armed Police (JAP) conducted the march across various sensitive areas of the city. Kotwali DSP Ajit Kumar Vimal said, "The flag march started from Albert Ekka Chowk and ended at Doranda. We have put in place elaborate security arrangement for Holi."
Police said they are on a high alert to prevent any untoward situation. State police's spokesperson and IG (operations) Saket Singh said, "RAF and RAP will be deployed in all sensitive districts. Leaves of policemen, barring in exceptional cases, have been cancelled. The reserve forces are also kept on alert."
Ranchi police have called 300 homeguards to augment its force. Around 200 magistrates would be deployed in different parts of the district. Static forces along with magistrates would be posted at 65 spots in the city, 68 in Sadar sub-division area and at 10 spots in Bundu sub-division. As many as 19 police teams under magistrates would patrol the city area. "The deployment of forces would take place on Monday," said Vimal.
Ranchi administration has instructed police officers to keep a watch on social media and other online platforms to prevent the spread of rumours.