By IANS
Lucknow : The Vidhan Sabha Marg here looked like a mini Rajpath on the 59th Republic Day Saturday with unprecedented security marking the celebrations in the capital of India’s most populous state.
Quite in line with the mega celebrations in New Delhi, the Lucknow show began with an impressive parade led by an Indian Army contingent. Different wings of the police also took part in the march.
The military squad made an impressive display of the recently acquired anti-tank guided missile while an army helicopter showered flowers on the podium, where Uttar Pradesh Governor T.V. Rajeshwar took the salute.
Chief Minister Mayawati ensured unprecedented security in and around the special enclosure, carved out for her, her aide Satish Misra as well as Shashank Shekhar Singh, the cabinet secretary.
Apparently, it was excessive security that kept many seats in the VIP enclosure vacant.
“Multi-point security at the entry and beyond was something I have never seen before. And the cops were so rude that I preferred to return with my family and watch the show on TV,” a government official told IANS.
Lucknow Senior Superintendent of Police Akhil Kumar said: “We could not take any chances, considering the recent terrorist attacks.”
The civil aviation department made it a point to declare a 5-km radius around the venue as a “no flying zone” for half the day.
Director General Of Police Vikram Singh added: “We posted snipers on all high-rise buildings around the venue. We also put up view-cutters on all four sides to prevent any direct view of the chief minister’s enclosure.”
Besides the uniformed armed personnel, at least 100 sleuths were made to fan out amid the crowds in plainclothes to keep a closer vigil on all and sundry.