The Punjab and Haryana High Court on Monday issued a notice to the Haryana government after a petition sought adequate security in Jind and nearby areas ahead of Bharatiya Janata Party President Amit Shah’s bike rally in the city on Thursday, The Tribune reported. One lakh motorcycles are expected from all over the state during the rally.
The case will come up for hearing on Wednesday.
In the petition, non-profit organisation Arrive Safe Society said party workers usually violate traffic rules, block the traffic and indulge in hooliganism. The court also sent notices to Haryana BJP and the Ministry of Home Affairs, the Hindustan Times reported.
The party plans to start its campaign for the 2019 Lok Sabha elections through the rally.
On February 9, the National Green Tribunal had asked the Centre and the Haryana government to reply to a plea seeking to reduce the number of motorcycles at the rally.
1,111 motorcycles from each constituency
Meanwhile, the party’s Haryana unit is aiming to have 1,111 motorcycles from each Assembly constituency in the state at Shah’s rally to meet its target of one lakh motorcycles. Before starting for Jind, party workers will sign a pledge that they will not break traffic rules, The Indian Express reported on Tuesday.
The bikers in remote parts of the state will start their journey to Jind a day before, the Haryana BJP President Subhash Barala told the newspaper. Local party leaders have offered free t-shirts, helmets and jackets to workers to ensure participation.
“In our Sonepat constituency, we will offer saffron-coloured helmets to each party worker taking part in the rally,” said Rajiv Jain, who handles the state BJP’s media department. “We have already decided to purchase 1,150 helmets for this purpose.”
A party leader in Hisar bought at least 10,000 T-shirts with the lotus – the BJP’s party symbol – on them to be distributed to party workers who will go to the rally, The Indian Express quoted unidentified sources as saying.
Barala said the bikers would spend Wednesday night near the venue of the rally, and the venue would have a separate parking area for motorcycles from each constituency. The party will not pay for the fuel, said Haryana Housing Board Chairman and BJP leader Jawahar Yadav.
On Sunday night, the All India Jat Aarakshan Sanghrash Samiti withdrew its call for a protest during the rally. However, the central security forces that the state had requested for after their threat will still be deployed to maintain law and order, said Inspector General of Police Mamta Singh.
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