Security was beefed up Thursday in and around the makeshift temple in Ayodhya even as an inquiry by Faizabad district administration squarely blamed the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel for "failure" to prevent Vishwa Hindu Parishad activists' from storming it Wednesday. Three additional companies of Provincial Armed Constabulary personnel have been deployed in the area and barricades around the temple complex strengthened. Devotees continued to offer prayers Thursday during the regulation hours as normalcy returned with no fresh untoward incident reported. So far no action has been taken against any security official in Ayodhya with the government saying it was awaiting the enquiry report.
Commissioner of Faizabad division Anil Gupta, who is also the Centre's receiver of the acquired land in Ayodhya, said that the CRPF personnel posted at the "isolation cordon" of the disputed site did not perform their duties as per the guidelines defined for the purpose for them. In his report to the Centre on the incident, Gupta said the CRPF officials and jawans responsible for the inner security ring at the isolation cordon did not obey the magistrate who asked them to prevent and arrest the VHP activists led by Ashok Singhal. There is a standing order from the Centre that the CRPF personnel would act independently and take any decision necessary to deal with any eventuality without waiting for magesterial orders, Gupta said . In this case, the CRPF personnel did not not use their authority and acted only when the Commissioner and the DIG themselves reached the spot and told the VHP activists to leave the place or else they would be arrested, Gupta said. Bureau Report