Ayodhya, August 5: Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who will be in Ayodhya today for the foundation laying ceremony for the construction of Ram temple, will be guarded by 150 policemen who have recovered from coronavirus (COVID-19) infection and developed antibodies to the disease. The deployment of officers who have recovered from coronavirus for PM Narendra Modi's security reduces the risk of the deadly virus's spread. Ram Mandir Bhumi Pujan: 1,000 Men Deployed in Ayodhya to Shoo Away Monkeys at Temple Site.

According to Uttar Pradesh's Deputy Inspector General of Police Deepak Kumar, the COVID-19 recovered policemen will form the first layer of protection for PM Narendra Modi in Ayodhya. They have been posted at locations where the Prime Minister is expected to arrive. Around 400 additional personnel who have tested negative for COVID-19 in the past 48 hours and then been isolated, have also been deployed as the PM's security detail. Ram Temple 'Bhumi Pujan' in Ayodhya Live Streaming: When And Where to Watch Online Telecast of August 5 Foundation-Laying Ceremony For Construction of Ram Mandir.

"It’s in the protocol for protecting the Prime Minister that he must be guarded by healthy personnel. Now what can be healthier in these times than a Covid-19 warrior," Deputy IGP Deepak Kumar told Hindustan Times. He said that he had on July 29 written to the UP Director General of Police Hitesh Chandra Awasthy and made a special request for around 150 UP Police personnel who had contracted the disease and recovered by July 25, for PM Modi's security in Ayodhya.

Deputy IGP Deepak Kumar on PM Narendra Modi's Security:

"I had the entire list of all those impacted and the ADG (law and order) immediately okayed my request," Kumar said. According to experts, those who recovered from coronavirus have antibodies to the disease and are therefore unlikely to contract the infection or spread it, at least for the next few months. "Our aim is that every police personnel that the PM’s eyes fall on, is either a Covid-19 warrior or has been tested in the last 48 hours," Kumar said.

The steps have been taken after a junior priest and four other personnel deployed at the Ram Janambhoomi site were found to be infected with coronavirus last week. At the bhumi pujan event, there will be five guests who will be seated on the dais. They are PM Modi, RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat, UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Governor Anandiben Patel and Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, the chairman of the Shri Ram Janmabhoomi Teerth Kshetra Trust that is overseeing the temple construction.

(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Aug 05, 2020 10:28 AM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).