Rajasthan police are preparing a dedicated crowd management strategy for Khatu Shyam Ji, one of the state's most visited religious sites, as the number of devotees arriving there keeps climbing week after week. The move is part of a broader push to strengthen security arrangements across all major religious and tourist destinations in the state.
Security audit due by September 30
Director General of Police Rajiv Kumar Sharma has ordered a security audit of tourist and religious sites across Rajasthan to be completed by September 30. The audit is meant to assess how effective the current security setup is and identify gaps that need fixing so that pilgrims and tourists get better protection on the ground.
Planning for crowds beyond festival days too
At shrines like Khatu Shyam Ji and Salasar, large crowds are usually associated only with major fairs, but sizeable numbers of devotees actually turn up on ordinary days as well. Keeping that in mind, police will draw up separate plans covering both regular days and fair days, laying out in advance how entry, exit, parking, traffic and emergency response should be handled if the crowd suddenly swells, so that the situation does not spiral into chaos.
Senior officials meet at police headquarters
The plan took shape at a meeting of senior police and tourism department officials at the police headquarters. DGP Rajiv Kumar Sharma directed that the safety of tourists and pilgrims be treated as the top priority. The meeting went into detail on traffic management at tourist spots, the Tourist Assistance Force (TAF), tourism police stations, CCTV coverage, tourist help booths and emergency medical facilities, with emphasis on making sure the security arrangements are strong in practice, not just on paper.
CCTV network to play a key role
A wider CCTV network is being seen as central to controlling crowds at busy religious sites such as Khatu Shyam Ji. More cameras will be installed at sensitive spots to sharpen surveillance. The goal is to spot any suspicious activity, blockage on the route, or emergency situation in the middle of a crowd as quickly as possible, and better coordination is being built between tourism police and local police to make that happen.
Tourism Commissioner presents status report
Tourism Commissioner Rukmani Riyar briefed the meeting on the current condition of major tourist sites in the state and the facilities the tourism department is providing there, and also presented a compliance report on the directions issued at the previous meeting. It also emerged that a special app is being developed through DOIT and is expected to launch soon, one that could make it considerably easier for tourists and devotees to access help.
New app to be linked with panic button
The DGP has directed that this new app be integrated with the RajCop Citizen app and the panic button, so that tourists and pilgrims can get police assistance quickly whenever they need it. The meeting also stressed increasing the number of tourism police stations and strengthening the Tourist Assistance Force. Together, these steps are expected to give domestic and foreign tourists visiting sites like Khatu Shyam Ji and Salasar both stronger security and faster, more reliable support.
