Goddess Temples Potential Terrorist Targets

From The Hindu online Tuesday, February 26, 2008 : 2215 Hrs Vigil stepped up at Udupi, Mookambika temples Udupi (PTI): Police have stepped up a vigil at the famous Sri Krishna Temple and the Goddess Mookambika Temple in Kollur as a "precautionary measure" while ruling out any specific intelligence alert about possible terror attacks on them. "The district police have not received any specific intelligence information on these two temples facing any threat from terror groups," Superintendent of Police Devajyothi Roy told reporters here replying to a question. However, as a precautionary measure, patrolling had been beefed up in Udupi and Kollur and vigil was being maintained, he said. He said police had submitted a security plan to the Sri Krishna temple authorities to step up internal security, install CCTV cameras at entry and exit points three years ago, but no action had been taken to implement it so far. He said there was movement of naxalites in the forests of Western Ghats in Karkala and Kundapur and said the Anti-Naxal Force had been undertaking regular combing operations.