ALLAHABAD: The district police have roped in around 2,000 'police mitra' across the city to ensure an incident-free Holi this year. Over 826 Holikas would be set afire on Thursday, while colour would be played on Friday and SaturdayWith the festival clashing with Jumme-Ki-Namaz, the police have urged denizens to indulge in colours only till 12 noon on Friday and till 3pm on Saturday to prevent any communal tension.

Additional police force and 58 mobile police cars too would be deployed to keep a tab on mischief in the garb of revelry. The police have identified 12 areas where rowdy incidents on Holi were reported in the past five years. Apart from civil police, volunteers of civil defense and anti-corruption unit have also been assigned duties at sites of Holikas and identified trouble prone areas to maintain law and order.

SP, city, Rajesh Kumar Yadav told TOI "Adequate police force has been deployed across the city." He said, "One company of PAC and RAF and 500 homeguards have also been deployed and additional vigil was being maintained in the trouble-prone areas."

Besides, prior permission from district authorities has been made mandatory for using loudspeakers and DJs. The administration has also appealed to people to avoid loud music owing to ongoing exams of UP, ICSE and CBSE boards. Special vigil will be maintained in 14 trouble-prone areas where shobha yatras are taken out on Holi. Besides, police would maintain a watch on various cultural programmes organised on Holi.

SP, meanwhile, said that the police have prepared a three-point security plan. Volunteers of peace committee, civil defense, police mitra and gram suraksha samitis were being contacted to ensure peace. He added that after identifying trouble prone areas, the police department has deployed mobile police vans and sleuths of local intelligence unit (LIU) to compile inputs. Besides, beat constables have been asked to take rounds of holikas and submit report to seniors.

Special police teams have been constituted to keep an eye on manufacture of spurious liquor. Villages known for preparing illicit brew are already under police scanner.

Around 2,500 policemen have been deployed throughout the district. Cops have been directed to keep an eye on people who roam in the streets after consuming liquor and create nuisance. "Station officers have been asked to keep a check on tipsy revellers," said SP. Adequate security arrangements have been made in villages and blocks and cops would remain mobile on the day. Additional police pickets would be deployed in mixed populated areas.

