Now, a shoe-proof net for the netas

Alarmed by the growing number of shoe-throwing incidents in which politicians were the target, the Union home ministry has directed all states to take special security measures to prevent such incidents.

Sources in the state home department said on condition of anonymity that the Centre had sent a list of precautionary steps that should be taken by the police and other security officials to prevent shoe-throwing by protesters.

These steps include keeping the public at a distance of 20 feet from a stage erected for a public meeting, putting up a net to prevent people from throwing anything towards the stage, and raising the stage to a greater height. Further, the public should be kept at a safe distance from VIP leaders on a dais.

The communiqué from the home ministry has also suggested that leaders should avoid coming too close to the public. As for closed-door meetings, the police have been asked to set up metal detectors at the meeting venue.

“The state home department has already forwarded the instructions to the commissioners and superintendents of police,” the source said. The latest shoe-throwing happened on Friday, when a shoe was hurled at Congress MP Naveen Jindal while he was addressing a rally at Kurukshetra. The culprit was a retired school teacher, unhappy with Congress policies.