Following the series of terror attacks in Sri Lanka on Easter Sunday, Mylapore Police have asked local churches to be alert.
On April 24 morning, a meeting took place at the office of Deputy Commissioner of Police at Kutchery Road. Assistant Commissioner of Police (ACP), K. Ramesh conducted the meeting and representatives of all the local churches attended it.
“The Commissioner of Police, Chennai has asked us to increase the security at churches. Hence, our officers are visiting the churches at regular intervals to check if any suspicious persons/bags are around,” says Ramesh, ACP, Mylapore.
“On Fridays and Sundays, when people visit the churches in large number we are planning to have a few officers inside the prayer hall of the churches for safety purpose,” he adds.
D. Thangaraj, vice-president of the community of St.Thomas Cathedral Basilica, San Thome says, “Representatives of all the local area churches were present at the meeting besides others.”
He says, “The police asked us to discuss with our staff members and implement suitable safety measures. We are planning to increase the CCTV cameras. We are also planning to place barricades and metal detectors at the entrance.”
“Since our’s is a national shrine and a heritage site we have been asked to be more careful,” he adds.
The church representatives and the police have also formed a WhatsApp group to quickly spread the word in case of emergencies.
