At a time when religious politics are raging in Andhra Pradesh, the government has ordered the police department to secure all places of worship to avoid any untoward incident, especially in the light of Antarvedi Sri Lakshmi Narasimha Swamy temple chariot blaze.
The state police department has already initiated the process of calling priests and religious heads across the state to be vigilant and fix surveillance cameras in churches, temples, mosques and others.
In Prakasam and West Godavari districts, like all others, the policemen personally visited temples, churches and mosques, suggesting safety measures to the clergy as well as locals.
A Prakasam police official said the department is keeping 24x7 vigil at all places of worship across the district.
A couple of policemen were seen securing a Lord Hanuman temple at Parchur village, another temple at Komarole, a mosque in Kandukur town and a Telugu Baptist Church in Pamuru.
Similar scenes were also seen in Epurupalem, PC Palli, Kanigi and others in the district.
Meanwhile, Prakasam Superintendent of Police (SP), Siddharth Kaushal, has warned hate mongers that the police are keeping a strict vigil to thwart any opportunity for vested interested to exploit the situation.
"We are taking it very seriously on the ground. We are ensuring that no opportunity is given and everything is attended to promptly on ground, responded to promptly and no opportunity is given to exploit this situation," Kaushal told IANS, who is recovering from Coronavirus.
He said police are also monitoring social media to look for trouble makers.
"We are drawing a list of suspects who might want to capitalise on a provocation. We are keeping a close watch, taking everything very seriously on the ground," he asserted.
Besides vigilance, the police department is also engaging in community activities to foster brotherhood among people, mitigate negative atmosphere.
"We are trying to sort of bring together communities, mitigate the negative atmosphere. We will build it up," he said about Sadhbhavana, a programme for peace and harmony.
Currently, Sadhbhavana is taking place at the grassroots level for community spirit.
As part of Sadhbavana, police interacted with Imams in Chirala town and people associated with a temple at TV Palli and other places.
