BJP insists on deployment of drone at Amit Shah's Kolkata rally

A central BJP delegation today visited the venue of party president Amit Shah's rally here on August 11 and insisted on deployment of a drone for mass surveillance in view of the tent collapse incident at Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Midnapore rally in June.

The delegation comprising party's national general secretaries Kailash Vijayvargiya and P Murlidhar Rao and other state leaders visited Mayo Road, in the heart of the city, and took stock of the preparations for Shah's rally.

The drone is essential as lakhs of people are expected to gather at Mayo Road in Kolkata on Saturday. So from the security point of view, a drone is a necessity, Vijayvargiya told reporters.

Yesterday, the BJP's state unit had asked the Kolkata Police to grant permission to fly a drone during Shah's upcoming rally.

The saffron party, which has become wary after over 90 people were injured when a section of a tent caved in at Modi's rally on June 16, also urged to the police to allow the use of walkie-talkies by party workers during the gathering.

West Bengal BJP president Dilip Ghosh yesterday said a drone would help keep an eye on the proceedings in and around the rally venue and the request was merely for security reasons.

A senior officer of Kolkata Police yesterday said nothing has been decided on the issue.