In light of Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s visit to Kanniyakumari and the Vivekananda Rock Memorial, tourists have been prohibited from the site during the Bharatiya Janata Party’s (BJP) leader’s stay starting on May 31. The Prime Minister is expected to stay at the site for 45 hours for which tourists are not allowed. He will be staying in Kanniyakumari till June 1, which is also the day of the final phase of polling in the Lok Sabha elections.
According to The Hindu, there has been heavy deployment of police personnel to ensure the Prime Minister’s visit. Three Deputy Inspectors Generals (DIGs), 13 Superintendents of Police (SPs), 16 Additional Superintendents of Police (ADSP), 45 Deputy Superintendents of Police (DSP), and 3500 police officers have been deployed around Kanniyakumari. Apart from that, eastern side of Vivekananda Memorial has also been secured with four speedboats from the Coastal Security Group. Four more mechanised fishing boats have been hired by the police officers for security purposes.
The Hindu also reported that the sea-facing rooms with balconies near the shores have been occupied by police officers for security reasons. A hotel receptionist who spoke to The Hindu said that they have been instructed to not accommodate guests in those rooms for the safety of the Prime Minister.
Tourists were also not allowed to visit the Vivekananda Rock Memorial and the nearby Thiruvalluvar Rock on Thursday, May 30. This was done in order to ensure that there is no threat to the security arrangements made in light of the Prime Minister’s visit, according to reports.