GUJRAT, Nov 2: The district administration has requisitioned deployment of the army and the Rangers for Muharram.

The female staff of health and education departments will also be on duty to frisk women participants in majalis.

At a meeting here on Saturday, District Coordination Officer Asif Bilal Lodhi said two companies each of the army and the Rangers would be deployed in Gujrat and both the security agencies had already been approached in this regard. He said lady police constables, lady health workers and female staff of the education department would check women at the entry points of majalis and congregations. He directed the officials concerned to post the women very close to their residences.

The DCO said Gujrat had been declared a sensitive district and no negligence by any official would be tolerated at any cost. He asked the administrators and TMOs of all three tehsils to arrange standby generators and streetlights along the routes of Muharram processions.

District Police Officer Ali Nasir Rizvi said 1,289 majalis and 233 processions would be held in the district and the police had already made a security plan in this regard.

He said to improve security arrangements, police had arranged 500 more barriers, wireless sets, 20 megaphones, 100 new iron wires whereas entry of 19 clerics had been banned into the district besides a ban on speaking of seven other clerics.

Additional District Collector Farooq Rasheed, DOC Shuja Qutab Bhatti, EDO Health Dr Nusrat Riaz, Gepco Superintending Engineer Shabeer Toor, ACs, TMOs and DSPs of all three Tehsils of the district, Aziz Bhatti Shaheed Hospital medical superintendent and other officials were also present. — Correspondent