UP Police to welcome Kashi dham devotees with folded hands, address them as 'sir or madam'

Varanasi (UP), Feb 14 (PTI) Lakhs of devotees who will visit the Shri Kashi Vishwanath Dham for this Mahashivratri will see a different face of the police who have been directed to address the visitors as "sir" or "madam", and greet devotees with folded hands.

After a meeting on police's treatment of the devotees was held in the Trimbakeshwar Hall inside the temple complex on Thursday, a senior official said police personnel have been directed to refrain from using harsh language, abusive words, or behaving indecently towards devotees under any circumstances.

Misconduct will invite disciplinary action, police said.

Varanasi Commissioner of Police Mohit Agarwal said Friday that an estimated 15-20 lakh devotees are expected to visit Kashi on Sunday, with police personnel receiving training in soft skills.

Elaborate preparations are going on to manage the massive crowd, he said.

Agarwal said police personnel will address devotees visiting the temple premises as "sir" or "madam" and instructions have been given to all personnel at all entry points to greet devotees with folded hands.

"Special sensitivity will be shown towards senior citizens, women and people with disabilities," he added. The police personnel will also assist as guides to ensure that all devotees can complete their 'darshan' with ease.

Agrawal said that senior officers will continuously monitor the behaviour of the police personnel deployed at the temple premises from the control room.

Any instances of misconduct or negligence by officers towards devotees will lead to strict disciplinary action in accordance with regulations, he said. PTI COR NAV SMV SMV SKY SKY