Bengaluru turns into fortress for New Year festivities

Bengaluru: Against the backdrop of the Church Street blast, police security was uptight with a blanket cover of 12,000 police personnel in the city especially sensitive areas such as M.G. Road, Brigade Road, Commercial Street, Indiranagar, and parts of Dr. Rajkumar Road in Yeshwantpur, where New Year festivities went on with full fervor.

In addition, two platoons of armed paramilitary striking forces were sought for monitoring the festivities on M.G. Road and Brigade Road.

Nine platoons of KSRP and CAR striking force were also used by the city police to monitor New Year crowd at sensitive places. Couple of ambulances and a bomb disposal squad vehicle too found its way to M.G. Road adding to security features.

Armed policemen with night-vision binoculars stood on ten watchtowers on Brigade Road and monitored the movement of the public.

Commercial Street and Indiranagar also had four watchtowers each to monitor revelers. The entire festivities were being recorded by existing and temporarily installed CCTV cameras at sensitive places in the city.

A total of 75 CCTV cameras (25 from the city police and 50 cameras from private establishments) recorded footage of the New Year festivities on Brigade Road, M.G. Road and surrounding areas. Eight CCTVs recorded festivities at Indiranagar and Commercial street. Twelve units of mounted police on horsebacks galloped to and fro M.G Road and Brigade Road.