Narendra Modi's Lucknow visit: Security beefed up after terror threat to Yoga Day celebrations

Lucknow: Massive security arrangements have been put in place in the Uttar Pradesh capital for Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s two-day visit beginning 20 June to participate in the third International Yoga Day celebrations. Modi will lead a crowd of 50,000 to 55,000 in doing yoga on the International Yoga Day on 21 June at the Ramabai Ambedkar Ground in Lucknow. Security has been beefed up following an alert by the Intelligence Bureau (IB) of terror threats to the event. Additional Director General (Lucknow zone) Abhay Kumar Prasad has been made in-charge of the Prime Minister’s security during his stay in the state capital. [caption id=“attachment_3707089” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Indian prime minister Narendra Modi. PTI[/caption] A total of 26 superintendents of police, 51 additional superintendents of police, 137 commanding officers, 224 inspectors, 992 sub-inspectors, 163 women sub-inspectors, 295 head constables, 3,700 constables, 480 women constables, 12 traffic inspectors, 157 sub-inspectors of the Traffic Department, 497 traffic constables, 10 central armed guard police and 25 companies of provincial armed constabulary (PAC) will be deployed for the Prime Minister’s visit, an official said. Two teams of ATS commandos would also be deployed for his security. The inner ring will remain the responsibility of the SPG. A total of 400 CCTVs will be installed at the event venue along with drones to take care of the security. The Sanjay Gandhi Post Graduate Institute of Medical Sciences (SGPGI) and the command hospitals have been declared safe houses for the VVIP visit. A 24-bedded disaster ward has been established at the King George Medical University (KGMU). The leave of all doctors has been cancelled for 20 and 21 June due to PM Modi’s visit. Modi will arrive in a special IAF plane at the Chowdhary Charan Singh airport in Amausi at around 3.50 pm on 20 June. He will then fly in a chopper to the new campus of the Central Drug Research Institute (CDRI) in Jankipuram and inaugurate it. He will also spend some time at the new lab facilities there, an official said. Modi would then drive to the Abdul Kalam Technical University and inaugurate the varsity’s new building. He will dedicate to the nation a 400 KV Lucknow-Kanpur DC transmission line. Modi will also hand over allotment letters of 20 houses under the prime minister’s housing scheme to 20 beneficiaries. He will attend a dinner hosted by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath at his Kalidas Marg residence and would retire for the night at Raj Bhawan. After attending the Yoga Day celebrations the following day, he would leave for Delhi.