The city police personnel at the VOC Park Ground in Coimbatore on Friday, venue for the Independence Day celebrations.

| Photo Credit: PERIASAMY M

Coimbatore city came under a security blanket ahead of the Independence Day celebrations to be held on Saturday.The bomb detection and disposal squad (BDDS), accompanied by the dog squad, conducted anti-sabotage checks at multiple locations in the city.City Police Commissioner N. Kannan said 850 police personnel were deployed across the city for the security arrangement, covering vital installations, airport, bus stands, railway stations, busy market areas, Central government offices, statues of leaders and other places where public gather in large numbers.He said the force was kept on high alert and security was stepped up at 12 checkposts on city borders. Additional check points were made at 37 places identified as hotspots. The V.O.C. Ground, where the Independence Day celebrations will be held with the hoisting of the national flag by the District Collector at 8.50 a.m., was brought under the control of the police.Mr. Kannan said that railway lines passing through the city limits were also checked as part of the anti-sabotage exercises. A total of 25 four-wheeler patrols and 59 two-wheeler patrols were assigned to cover designated areas in the city to enhance security, he said.The Railway Protection Force (RPF), the Government Railway Police (GRP), RPF BDDS, and RPF dog squad conducted a joint security and anti-sabotage check at Podanur railway station. Podanur RPF Inspector Rambhajan Prajapati, GRP Inspector Ruventhika, and RPF Sub-Inspector Manikandan supervised the exercise covering station premises, platforms, railway tracks, booking and passenger areas, vehicle parking areas and other accessible locations.Intensive checks were also carried out on trains and coaches. Passenger luggage, unattended articles, parcels and other suspicious objects were carefully checked. The RPF BDDS team led by SI Ambikapathi, sniffer dog ‘Sirvani’ and handler Sathish Chandran, GRP SI Gangadevi and other personnel carried out the joint checking. Published - August 14, 2026 08:37 pm IST