Arunachaleswara temple to get its own police station

Tiruvannamalai Collector K. Tharpagaraj inspecting Arunachaleswara temple.
| Photo Credit: Special Arrangement

Arunachaleswara temple in Tiruvannamalai will get a new police station soon to manage increasing numbers of visitors and ensure safety of pilgrims.

Police sources said that the idea to have separate police station for the temple was mooted after similar facilities exist at Palani (Adivaram police), Rameswaram and Tiruchendur.

Currently, the security arrangements inside the temple comes under the purview of Tiruvannamalai town police, which has around 50 police personnel.

Apart from the temple, the town police also cover all 39 wards of Tiruvannamalai Corporation. “A new police station for the temple will help manage crowd inside the premises. The new facility in the temple will come up soon,” M. Sudhakar, SP (Tiruvannamalai), told The Hindu.

At present, a small police outpost is located inside the temple to regulate crowds. The outpost, which was formed over four decades ago, has around five police personnel led by a special sub-inspector (SSI).

Police sources said that on an average, around 80,000 people come to the temple every day. During weekends, the footfall in the town doubles. Apart from town police, additional police personnel including women constables from Tiruvannamalai East, West and taluk police are being roped to regulate devotees.

A separate police station for the temple can help to regulate devotees in the temple, thereby reducing the total waiting time of pilgrims. More importantly, it will help to prevent petty crime like cell phone robbery, chain snatching and children missing incidents, which are frequently reported. It will also reduce bandobast duties done by police personnel from adjoining police stations.

All four Mada streets around the temple and residential areas will come under the new temple police station. It will be manned by around 50 police personnel.