The deployment of police officers dressed as priests at the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi has sparked controversy, drawing sharp criticism from Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. The 50-year-old warned that the decision to allow police officers to dress in anything other than their uniforms poses a big security risk.
"According to which 'police manual' is it correct for policemen to be dressed as priests? Those who give such orders should be suspended. If tomorrow any 'thag' (fraudster) takes advantage of this and loots the innocent public, then what will the UP government and administration answer? Condemnable!" Akhilesh Yadav wrote on X.
The Samajwadi Party chief shared a news clip in which police officers could be seen in traditional clothing. While the male officers are wearing dhoti-kurta, the women cops are wearing salwar kurta.
Varanasi Police Commissioner Mohit Agarwal defended the controversial measure, citing concerns about crowd management and the well-being of devotees. He argued that the traditional attire of priests fosters a more positive interaction with pilgrims, minimising the risk of unrest or agitation.
"The duty in temple is different from other place as police have to manage different type of crowd here. The crowd here is not for creating law and order problem. The police is here to ensure easy darshan to people and help and guide them," Mr Agarwal said, as quoted by news agency PTI.
"The devotees get hurt if being pushed by policemen, if same thing is done by priests they take it in a positive way. Following no touch policy, policemen are being deployed in priests attire," he added.
