LUCKNOW: It may sound unbelievable but Uttar Pradesh witnessed the proverbial 'Ram Rajya' on the day the Supreme Court delivered the verdict on the vexed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute on November 9, which went into the annals of state history as 'zero crime' day.
Not even a single incident of loot, snatching, kidnapping, rape, murder or dacoity took place across the 75 districts of Uttar Pradesh. “This has happened for the first time in the state,” said a senior official posted at the police headquarters here on Wednesday.
Even officers at the DGP office could not believe the statewide crime sheet of November 9 when they saw it the following day as there was not a single incident of crime reported in any of the districts. “It was unusual for us but true,” said a senior cop at police headquarters.
Senior officers at the helm believe that it all became possible owing to well-coordinated efforts among officers at different levels. Even CM Yogi, leaving nothing to chance on a day when religious tempers were running high, himself led from the front as he reached the integrated emergency control room – UP 112-- early on November 9 to monitor the police operations and law and order situation of the state.
The Emergency Operation Centre was set up at the Integrated Control Room -- UP 112 -- on Friday night. It was functioning under senior IPS officer Asim Arun, IG, UP 112. “This control room had zone wise desks and control rooms were set up at the district level also to keep a close eye on trouble makers,” said a
senior police officer associated with UP 112.
In fact, elaborate arrangements with a thick, multi-tier security blanket across the state were in place in advance.
As soon as word about the pronouncement of the judgement on Saturday, November 9, was out in the open late on November 8 evening, the entire police department, right from the Director General (DGP) to beat constables at police stations, came into alert mode.
UP DGP OP Singh was in Agra on November 8 night but started issuing directives to officers right away. An unprecedented posse of police was deployed across the state and patrolling was increased. “Ayodhya and adjoining districts were under satellite vigil with the help of the Indian Space Research Organisation (ISRO) before and after the SC verdict,” said the DGP.
The social media cell, too, increased its surveillance. IG (Law & Order) Praveen Kumar and Superintendent of Police (SP) Mohammad Imran, who was helming the cyber cell which was keeping a close watch on those trying to vitiate the atmosphere by posting messages loaded with communal hatred, spent the entire night at the police headquarters.
Even as November 9, 2019, passed off as a zero crime day, a strict vigil has continued on potential purveyors of hate messages on social media platforms till date. In the first three days after the pronouncement of the verdict, around 100 persons were arrested and around 56 FIRs were registered for allegedly making provocative remarks on social media.