Mysore/Mysuru: Union Home Minister Amit Shah is scheduled to visit Mysuru this weekend, during which he will participate in various events. In anticipation of his visit, the Mysuru District Administration and the Police have intensified security measures in accordance with protocol to ensure a smooth and incident-free VVIP visit.

Given the heightened alert, Amit Shah is provided with Z Plus security and the Special Protection Group (SPG) personnel responsible for his security have already arrived in Mysuru to oversee and manage the security arrangements.

As per his official itinerary and security schedule released to the Mysuru District Administration and the Police this morning, Amit Shah will be directly reaching the Mysore Airport at Mandakalli in an Indian Air Force (IAF) Aircraft from New Delhi on Feb. 10 (tomorrow) at 10.50 pm. The Union Home Minister will reach the Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel on M.G. Road and stay there overnight.

On Feb. 11 morning, Amit Shah’s cavalcade will leave for a visit to Chamundi Hill at 10.50 am where Amit Shah will offer prayers to Goddess Chamundeshwari, the presiding deity of Mysuru, at the Temple. At 11.40 am, he will leave to the Mysore Airport by road and board an IAF chopper to Suttur and land at the Mutt helipad at 12 noon.

He will arrive at the Mutt premises at 12.10 pm where he will inaugurate Parvathamma and Dr. Shamanur Shivashankarappa Guest House. On the occasion, MLA and former Minister Dr. Shamanur Shivashankarappa will be felicitated.

BJP National General Secretary B.L. Santhosh, Union Minister Pralhad V. Joshi, former CM and JD(S) State President H.D. Kumaraswamy, Opposition leader in the State Assembly R. Ashoka, BJP State President B.Y. Vijayendra and former MP Prabhakar Kore will be present as chief guests.

To meet local BJP leaders

Amit Shah’s Mysuru visit assumes significance as the BJP and JD(S) have formed an alliance to fight the Lok Sabha polls together in Karnataka. Seat sharing talks are on between the two parties.

In the last elections, BJP had won 26 of the total 28 Lok Sabha seats in Karnataka, including Sumalatha Ambarish, an independent supported by the party from Mandya, in the 2019 polls. The Congress and the JD(S) had secured  one seat each.

After lunch at the Suttur Mutt, Amit Shah will take off from the Suttur Mutt Helipad at 2.10 pm and reach the Mysore Airport at 2.25 pm from where his convoy will head to Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel at 2.35 pm.

As per the itinerary, the Union Home Minister will chair a meeting of BJP party leaders and prominent party workers at Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel from 2.40 pm to 4.30 pm. Post the meeting, Amit Shah will head to the Mysore Airport at 4.35 pm and fly to Ahmedabad in the IAF plane.

Security measures

In light of the series of events involving the Home Minister in Mysuru, Chamundi Hill and Suttur in Nanjangud Taluk, the Police have bolstered security measures along the route from Mysore Airport to Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel and from the Airport to Suttur Mutt. Deputy Commissioner Dr. K.V. Rajendra, Mysuru SP Seema Latkar and City Police Commissioner Ramesh Banoth are overseeing the security arrangements.

At Radisson Blu Plaza Hotel, SPG personnel have arrived and are assessing the security arrangements in the room where Amit Shah is staying, as well as the surrounding areas.

Teams including the Dog Squad, Anti-Sabotage Squad and Bomb Squad are stationed at the hotel, conducting thorough scans of both the premises and the vicinity for any potential threats.

Closed-door meeting

This morning, DCP (Law and Order) M. Muthuraj convened a closed-door meeting with Mysore Airport officials to coordinate arrangements for the landing and departure of the IAF plane and the helicopter.