A day after a stampede at the bathing ghat here claimed 27 lives, authorities on Wednesday stepped up vigil, diverting pilgrims to various bathing ghats to avoid overcrowding even as the state government ordered a judicial inquiry into the mishap that occurred on the first day of the ‘Pushkaram’ festival.

Policemen were on their toes as heavy rush was expected on the day of “Aadi Amavasya” today, which is considered auspicious to perform rituals, even as pilgrims have been told not to flock to a single ghat.

Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu is staying put here to oversee arrangements for smooth conduct of the mega event, for which 3.5 crore to four crore footfalls are expected.

East Godavari District Collector H Arun Kumar said pilgrims were being “evenly” diverted to various ghats and there is now no pressure at any particular point.

About 275 ghats have been set up by the administration, including 151 in East Godavari district alone, to enable the pilgrims to take holy dip and perform puja during the 12-day religious event.

With focus on Pushkar Ghat number one here and the other ones not in limelight, tens of thousands of people had thronged yesterday and once this crowd was let out suddenly after VIPs took holy dip and performed puja, there was a stampede resulting in the tragedy.

Arun Kumar said an estimated 10.2 lakh pilgrims visited the six ghats in Rajahmundry alone on the opening day of the once-in-12-years-event, which is hailed as Maha Pushkaram this year in view of its astronomical significance as it comes only once in 144 years.

Andhra Pradesh DGP, J V Ramudu, and senior police officials are monitoring the situation as the number of pilgrims is expected to swell in the coming days.

A controversy is brewing in Nagpur over the city municipal corporation’s proposal to shift the primary wing of a civic school to accommodate RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s security personnel.

The need for additional space for Bhagwat’s ecurity detail came after the union government accorded him Z-plus security cover by CISF commandos.

Reports said that the arrangement would be temporary in nature as the BJP-held Nagpur Muncipal Corporation has already started work on constructing permanent quarters for the CISF security team.

The school is located in the Untkhana area, about 3 km from RSS headquarters in Mahal.

The corporation zeroed in on the school as it has very few students on its school and they could be easily shifted to another school in the vicinity.

The matter will be decided on July 20 when the proposal will be put before the general body of NMC.

Expectedly the Congress has seen red over the issue. “Wrong to shift a operational school for guards of Mohan Bhagwat ji, will raise the issue,” said, Yogesh Tiwari, Congress Corporator.

The issue has also been taken up by party’s central leadership in Delhi.

“Condemn it, why must students suffer?,” said former union minister RPN Singh.

Yet another bloody chapter was added to the fight between the government and Naxals in the jungles of Chhattisgarh after the outlawed ultras have killed four policemen they had abducted on July 13 from Kutru in Bijapur district.

“Bodies of the four assistant constables have been found on a road near Gudma village under Kutru Police Station limits near the spot from where they were kidnapped by Naxals on Monday,” Bijapur Additional Superintendent of Police Indira Kalyan Elesela said.

As per a senior police official, the rebels had killed all the four jawans by holding the so-called ‘Jan Adalat’ (peoples’ court), near Gudma village last night.

Soon after getting information of the bodies lying abandoned on the road that passes thorough a dense forested patch, security forces were rushed to the spot.

“The cause behind the death will be ascertained after the bodies will be taken to a nearby hospital,” he said. However, media reports said that the jawans appear to have been killed using a sharp weapon.

The deceased personnel – Jaydev Yadav, Mangal Sodhi, Raju Tela and Rama Majji – were auxiliary personnel, inducted to assist state police in conducting anti-Naxal operations. The auxiliary policemen are also called ‘followers’.

They were abducted on Monday evening from a civilian bus plying in the Kutru police station area in Bijapur district.

The state police and paramilitary forces had rushed to comb the jungles where the incident was reported but failed to trace them.

Chhattisgarh Chief Minister Raman Singh has strongly condemned the killing of police officials.

“Condemn this, shows how inhumane the Maoists are,they are frustrated and losing ground,” Singh said.

Anti-corruption crusader Anna Hazare on Wednesday said that he would launch an indefinite fast on October 2 in Delhi over the contentious Land Acquisition Bill and press for speedy implementation of One Rank One Pension (OROP) for defence personnel.

“I will launch the fast at Ramlila ground in Delhi on October 2,” Hazare, who recently wrote a letter to Prime Minister Narendra Modi on the twin issues, told reporters at his native village Ralegan Siddhi in Ahmednagar district.

The 78-year-old activist would be returning to the Ramlila maidan after a gap of over four years. Hazare had spearheaded an agitation on implementation of Lokpal bill, sat on hunger strike with thousands joining the protests in June, 2011.

Hazare will honour widows and mothers of martyr defence personnel in Delhi on July 26 on the occasion of ‘Shaheed Din’.

After this event, rallies of farmers and former defence personnel will be held all over the country on the issues of Land Acquisition Bill and OROP, Hazare said.

In the letter to Modi, Hazare said, “We have to take care of our soldiers and farmers. Making hollow announcements for their welfare and actually implementing them are different things.”

In a democracy, the government should listen to woes of the people and redress them, he said. “I wish to reiterate that my agitation is not political,” the anti-corruption crusader’s letter stated.