As security threats increase, CM Yogi gets Special Commandos, Quick Response Team

In view of increasing threat perception to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the Union Home Ministry has decided to tighten his Z Plus Security cover further by deploying special commandos of Quick Response Team (QRT) from the National Security Guards (NSG).

The decision was taken at a high level meeting after Research and Analysis Wing (RAW) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) received inputs from the UK that a few London-based Kashmiri groups are planning to make an assassination attempt on Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP CM Yogi Adityanath.

As many as 35 NSG commandos have been deployed in the security of Yogi along with state police and CM's personal security guards. In addition to this, the QRT commandos are now being deployed to form an impregnable security ring around the saffron Chief Minister.

According to intelligence input from Madhya Pradesh, about a dozen trained terrorists are ready to sneak into the state through Nepal and Bihar borders - easy and safe routes to enter UP. Working on the inputs of the central intelligence agencies, the UP Anti-Terrorism Squad (ATS) along with police and ATS of five other states had arrested ten terror suspects on Thursday. During interrogation, they had revealed that members of new terror modules are secretly planning terror strikes and they may target a few BJP leaders as well.

Earlier, UP ATS had arrested four suspects of this module from Lucknow and Kanpur. The squad had also busted new modules in both the cities. The UP ATS had also shot down a terrorist Saifullah in Thakurganj area of Lucknow after 13-hour long gun-battle. It had recovered three pistols, several bombs and material and incriminating documents from Saifullah's hide-out.

UP ATS claimed that two of the arrested terrorists were wearing vermillion and had tied kalewa on their hands to pose themselves as Hindus. "This suggests that they had planned to camouflage by posing as Hindu devotees or sadhus to find easy access to temples and public meetings of ruling party leaders to execute their terror plans," a senior officer of the ATS said.

The biggest worry of the police and security agencies now is the security of CM Yogi and Gorakhnath temple in Gorakhpur. Intelligence sleuths and ATS men in plainclothes are keeping round-the-clock vigil in and around the famous temple of which Yogi is Peethadheeshwar.

Admitting threat perception to few prominent politicians in the state, Aseem Arun, IG UP ATS said that they are working round-the-clock to keep a close vigil on all sleeper and active modules of Kashmiri and ISIS groups operating in Uttar Pradesh and other parts of the country with the help of special cells and ATS of other states.

"We also have inputs about possible attack on religious places to spread communal frenzy but we are well prepared to thwart any such attempts," he claimed.

The state Home Department has also issued directives to prepare a fool-proof blueprint for the security of Gorakhnath temple. Under the plan, more metal detectors, scanners and CCTV cameras will be installed in the temple.

"We have issued directives to all Districts Magistrates and SSPs to sanitise the area before the CM's visit and ensure that a three-layer security cover is provided at the venue in addition to NSG and other security," a Home Department officer told DNA on condition of anonymity.