People who would be participating in the marathon padayatra of YSR Congress party president Y S Jaganmohan Reddy would be missing a big opportunity hereafter: taking selfies with the leader.
A decision has been taken by the party leaders on the suggestions from his security authorities. This was in the wake of the knife attack on his life by a restaurant worker Janipalli Srinivas at Visakhapatnam airport on October 25.
All through his journey for over 3,000 km, Jagan had been happily obliging the requests from the people for a selfie with him.
Especially women folk, students and youth used to request him for a selfie with him and Jagan used to take their mobiles and click the picture with them. Perhaps, he might have taken lakhs of selfies with his fans during his year-long padayatra.
However, following the knife-attack on him, the police have requested him not to oblige the requests for selfies with unknown people.
The police stepped up security cover for Jagan and a rope party with 50 police on either side so that nobody could approach him.
Only those with security identity cards can enter into the rope and walk along with Jagan. For that, they have to apply for ID cards well in advance and they would be issued in consultation with the party leaders accompanying him.
While there would be an aerial surveillance for him with drone cameras, security personnel with body-wear cameras are also accompanying him, keeping a watch on those who come to meet him.
The video footage from the drones and body cameras would be simultaneously scanned in the control room.
May be the new rules might be an irritant to the YSRC leaders, activists and also people who come to see him, but the police are not taking any chances in view of the Vizag incident.
