Praja Rajyam’s plea for security turned down

A request by Praja Rajyam for providing two dedicated teams of police personnel to travel in the convoy of its president Chiranjeevi when he takes up his ‘yatra’ by the end of the month has been turned down by the government.

Praja Rajyam had sought the services of two teams of 30 policemen each, including an inspector and two SIs, to travel with Mr. Chiranjeevi and provide proximate security.

Also, the party had asked for local police to clear traffic ahead of the convoy and ensure enough uniformed presence to maintain law and order. Declining the request, the government informed Praja Rajyam that depending upon the local situation and the size of the gathering at a particular place along the route, it would ask Superintendents of Police in the districts to ensure enough uniformed cover.

Private security



“We are bound to have provide enough security as we do for other political leaders because we have to prevent any untoward incident. Did we not post over 1,500 police personnel in Mr. Chiranjeevi’s public meeting in Tirupati?”, a senior police official asked. The government’s refusal has made Praja Rajyam look at security issues afresh. It has hired over 400 private security guards to travel with the actor. The party’s security managers, however, fear that these security guards may not be able to control overzealous fans eager for a glimpse of the ‘megastar’ as effectively as the police force. Mr. Chiranjeevi’s younger brother Pawan Kalyan is already taking care of the personal security with the help of the guards. They are being trained to recognise people who matter and those who do not, with a specific focus on learning from the mistakes committed at the ‘Praja Ankita Vedika’ at Tirupati on August 26 where several important leaders were not allowed anywhere close to the dais.