Security personnel withdrawn from vicinity of Gateway of India

Mumbai, Nov 20(ANI): Personnel of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) platoon, who were deployed at the Gateway of India in Mumbai to guard the Taj Mahal Hotel- one of the prime targets of 26/11 Mumbai terror attacks, were sent back to their barracks on Friday.

In the absence of any proper boarding and lodging arrangements, the platoon, which comprised of 30 SRPF troopers, had been camping under the arch of the huge monument for the past two months.

The SRPF jawans were compelled to live on the pavements in and around the historical monument.

The men lived, cooked their meals, ate and slept there and a common sight over the past two months was the off-duty personnel washing and hanging their clothes on the make-shift clothes line on the pavement adjacent to the monument.

The issue was highlighted by a section of the media following which the Maharashtra Government ordered the shifting of the jawans to a proper place.

"Earlier, when there were jawans out here, they did not had proper protection overhead and used to stay in open. But, now they have been shifted to a proper place to stay. They will keep coming for patrolling every day and night and security arrangement out here is also good. It's good that the SRPF personnel have been shifted from here," said Yatin, a visitor. (ANI)