Ayodhya: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who is expected to land at Ayodhya’s Saket College helipad at 11:30 am on Wednesday, will have a special ring of protection. The PM’s security cover will comprise local police personnel, who have recovered from COVID-19 infection, the deputy inspector general of police said on Tuesday.
Modi will spend nearly three hours in Ayodhya for Ram temple’s groundbreaking ceremony and authorities are upbeat that the 150 security personnel will protect him from COVID-19 infection. Experts feel these police personnel are likely to develop antibodies and are unlikely to contract or spread the infection for at least next few months.
“It’s in the protocol for protecting the Prime Minister that he must be guarded by healthy personnel. Now what can be healthier in these times than a COVID-19 warrior,” UP deputy inspector general of police Deepak Kumar said.
The already recovered police personnel will be the first layer of cover for the prime minister in a city which has seen 16 deaths so far with 604 active cases. Security men will also be there at key positions.
Kumar said he wrote to the Uttar Pradesh DGP Hitesh Chandra Awasthi on July 29 to make the special request to have PM’s security cover with COVID-19 recovered personnel which was granted immediately. “I had the entire list of all those impacted and the ADG (law and order) immediately okayed my request,” said Kumar. Most of them are from Lucknow while some are from Bareilly.
