Security beefed up at Bodh Gaya for Buddh Purnima

GAYA: In view of the recent terrorist attack at places of worship in Christchurch (New Zealand) and Colombo (Sri Lanka), security has been beefed up in Bodh Gaya on the eve of 2581th birth anniversary of Lord Buddha.
Bodh Gaya has twice, during the last six years, been targeted by terrorists- first by the Ranchi Module of Indian Mujahideen on July 13, 2013 and again by Bangladesh-based Jamaitul Mujahideen on January 19, 2018.
Gaya SSP Rajeev Mishra said though there is no specific input about Bodh Gaya, nothing was being left to chance and security agencies were fully aware of the international importance of the place which is the seat of Buddha’s enlightenment. Refusing to share deployment details, the SSP said that anti-terrorist squad (ATS) personnel too have been deployed in the holy city.
Though the main celebration is scheduled for May 18, the three-day-long special event to mark Buddh Purnima began in Bodh Gaya on Thursday. As per popular belief, Lord Buddha’s birth, enlightenment and salvation (death) took place on full moon day of the summer.
For some time on Thursday afternoon, a flurry of activity was witnessed near Mahabodhi Mahavihara as the CCTV monitor captured a woman putting a bag in one of the dustbins placed outside the shrine. According to SSP Rajeev Mishra, the bag was retrieved and thoroughly checked. “No dangerous item was recovered from the bag,” said the police officer.
In 2018, terrorists had abandoned bags containing explosives in the same vicinity. One IED was found several months later from an abandoned toilet in the shrine area. Gaya district magistrate Abhishek Singh said a three-day-long special cultural programme on Buddha’s life has also been organised. E-rickshaw facility has been made available as plying of fuel using motor vehicles stands banned in the shrine area.
A sizeable number of foreigners too are participating in the Buddh Purnima celebrations. According to the SSP, Bodh Gaya house owners have been advised against accommodating strangers. The practice of house owners sharing space with visitors in an illegal manner is fairly common and house owners charge fancy amounts during important events.
Meeting with stakeholders, including representatives of the Bodh Gaya-based foreign monasteries and people engaged in the hospitality business have also been held and hotels, monasteries and guest houses have been directed to ensure prompt compliance of Form C registration requiring submission of personal details including name, nationality, passport number, visa details, date of arrival, purpose of visit, next destination etc of all foreigners visiting the place. Facility for online submission of Form C is available.
The celebrations began on Thursday morning with a seminar on ‘Buddhism: Harbinger of Inter-religious Harmony’.