Elaborate security arrangements for Sonia's visit

Kurukshetra, Jul 27 (UNI) In view of the serial bomb blasts in Ahmedabad yesterday, the security agencies have fanned out to every nook and corner of this historic town, which will be visited by Congress President Sonia Gandhi tomorrow.

''Elaborate security arrangements have been made for Ms Gandhi's visit tomorrow'', Haryana ADGP (CID) Paramveer Rathi said here today.

Members of the Special Protection Group (SPG) guarding the Congress president scanned the venues to be visited by Ms Gandhi. A team of the National Security Guards (NSG) has already arrived in the town and will be guarding all vantage points along the VIP route as well as the venues where the functions are to be held.

Besides the NSG, police from other districts of Haryana have been deployed. The state police force will be assisted by members of the Haryana Commando unit in maintaining of the security set-up.

Anti-bomb squads of the Haryana police have already scanned the venues to be visited by Ms Gandhi and would perform the same drill tomorrow morning. Sniffer dog squads have also been pressed into service by the state police.

The state government had sounded a high alert yesterday after the bomb blasts in Gujarat. A high alert had also been sounded in neighbouring Punjab.

Ms Gandhi will be arriving by a helicopter at the Kurukshetra University Sports Complex, which has been cordoned off. She will address the 44th All India Oriental Conference at the University auditorium and will also unveil a brone statue of Lord Krishna and Arjun atop a brone chariot at the Brahm Sarowar here.

She will also lay the foundation stone of a Rs two crore museum to be built in memory of the those who laid down their lives in the 1857 Independence uprising.

UNI XC-HS RSA KP1836