To avoid any mishap, BJP to get drones for Amit Shah meet in Kolkata

State BJP leaders will also meet the Kolkata Police officials on Thursday to chalk out security details for the grand rally on Mayo Road of the state capital, where Shah is likely to take on the Mamata Banerjee-led Trinamool Congress over Assam’s National Register of Citizens (NRC).

The ruling party in West Bengal has criticised the BJP-led central government over the NRC after nearly 40 lakh people were left out of the final draft.

“Over 500 trained volunteers would be present during the public meeting to control the crowd. We are also taking other measures…No stones are being left unturned for the security of the rally. During the recent rally in Midnapore there was a mishap. On our part, we don’t want to take chances,” BJP’s State Secretary Sayantan Basu told The Indian Express.

READ | Police give permission for Amit Shah rally in Kolkata on August 11

He said that over two lakh people were expected to attend the rally from Kolkata and adjoining districts.

Shah’s rally is being organised by Yuva Morcha, the party’s youth wing. Bengal president of Yuva Morcha, Debjit Sarkar, said multiple drones would also keep surveillance over the proceedings of the rally.

According to party sources, apart from the police bandobast, the state BJP will press in their own volunteers for crowd control.

“We cannot depend on the state administration and police too much. Much of the state administration was to be blamed for what had happened at Modiji’s rally. Therefore, we will have our own system of crowd control ready,” a senior BJP leader, who did not wish to be named, said.

The central government had pointed fingers at the state police and administration for lack of supervision after the mishap at the PM’s rally. The state police, on the other hand, had filed a case against the decorator, contractor and organisers (state BJP) after the incident.