Bhubaneswar, June 20 (IANS) The Odisha Commissionerate Police have taken several Congress workers into preventive detention ahead of the visit of Prime Minister Narendra Modi to the state on Friday, officials said.

The Congress workers put under detention at the capital’s police station here include former Youth Congress President and the General Secretary of Odisha Pradesh Congress Committee, Yashir Nawaz.

“We have taken into detention five Congress workers last night as a preventive measure,” said a senior police official on Friday.

Meanwhile, the opposition Congress, on Friday, condemned the midnight arrest of its workers by the police ahead of PM Modi’s visit to Odisha.

“If the BJP is claiming ‘One Year, Many Achievements’ and the PM is coming to Odisha to celebrate the completion of BJP government’s first anniversary, then why so much fear of Congress leaders. Why police detained Congress leaders after arresting them by entering their houses during midnight. Congress is strongly condemning this act of the BJP government. The fight to ensure justice for people will continue more aggressively in future without fearing this arrest,” Nawaz said.

Prime Minister Modi will arrive at the Biju Patnaik International Airport at around 3:40 p.m. on Friday.

Later, he will go to the Janata Maidan, in a huge roadshow.

The Prime Minister is scheduled to address a large public gathering at the Janata Maidan.

PM Modi will inaugurate and lay the foundation stones of multiple developmental projects worth around Rs 19,000 crore.

The Prime Minister will also interact with beneficiaries of the Lakhpati Didi scheme and felicitate around 25 eminent freedom fighters from the state.

He is also likely to inaugurate the digital Hundi system, an online donation platform, for the famous Jagannath temple in Puri.

The Odisha Police have made extensive security arrangements in coordination with various agencies, including the State Police and Central Armed Police Forces in Bhubaneswar ahead of the visit of Prime Minister Modi on Friday.

As many as 133 platoons of police force and several senior policemen have been deployed for the security arrangements in Bhubaneswar.

–IANS

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