Security in Capital beefed up on eve of Diwali, Chhat

New Delhi, Nov 4 (UNI) With memories of pre-Diwali blasts in the Capital city two years ago still fresh in the minds of Delhiites, security has been beefed up in various parts of the capital, especially crowded places like shopping malls, markets and Railway stations.

On the eve of Diwali and Chhat festivals, the Delhi Police have put in place heightened security measures to avoid any mishappening like the bomb blasts that rocked the national capital in October 2005 on the eve of Diwali, claiming 59 lives.

Metal detectors have been erected at the entry points of major markets like Sarojini Nagar, Lajpat Nagar and Karol Bagh, he said.

''With festivals like the Chhat and Diwali approaching, we are maintaining a state of alert through measures like intensified patrolling, deployment of dog and bomb-disposal squads and constant vigil of crowded places,'' Delhi Police spokesperson Rajan Bhagat said.

What has perhaps also contributed to the Police mounting heightened security is the reciept of a handwritten letter, purportedly from a terrorist outfit, threatening to blow up the New Delhi railway station and other railway stations across several part of North India.

''A handwritten letter, purportedly from a terrorist outfit, was sent to the Old Delhi Railway Station on November 1. The letter threatened that the terrorist outfit would trigger explosions at the Old Delhi and New Delhi railway stations,'' a spokesperson of the Northern Railway said.

The spokesperson said, in wake of the letter, security had been beefed up at the Old Delhi and New Delhi railway station.

Additional units of RPF and paramilitary forces have been deployed at the railway stations, he said.

Meanwhile, the handwritten letter has been forwarded to the Delhi Police, the spokesperson said.

Delhi Police spokesperson said the letter could also be a prank played by someone considering that it was sent in the form of an inland letter.

All the same, he said, the Police and the railway authorities were taking no chances.

''Already, Railway authorities have stopped sale of platform tickets at the New Delhi and Old Delhi stations as part of its precautionary measures to avert any mishappening,'' the spokesperson said.

Further, those travelling by the trains were being subjected to increased frisking to avoid any untoward incidents.

UNI