European Council president Herman Van Rompuy and his wife Geertrui Van Rompuy pose for photographs at the Taj Mahal yesterday. Agra’s tourist police have stepped up security ahead of Valentine’s Day

IANS/Agra

Valentine’s Day is round the corner and Agra’s tourist police are on alert. Expecting a huge rush at the Taj Mahal, the 17th century monument to love, police are gearing to guard against any mischief, especially harassment of foreigners.
“We have a patrol car stationed at the entrance gate of the Taj at all times, as well as six to eight policemen manning the area. On holidays and occasions like Valentine’s Day on February 14, the number of people visiting the Taj goes up; so we also increase our forces in the area,” Sushant Gaur, chief of the tourist police station, said.
According to an official of the Archaeological Survey of India (ASI), posted at the ticket office of the Taj Mahal, nearly 25,000-30,000 people visit the monument every day. On holidays and occasions like Valentine’s Day, an additional 10,000 come to the wonder of the world.
With the crowds, however, the possibility of mischief makers also rises, the police said.
“The peak season for tourists to visit Agra is between November and January, spilling over to February since the weather is pleasant. It’s not necessary that just because there is a large crowd, there has to be an untoward incident. We cannot take chances,” said Gaur.
“Just a few days back, we got a call about two women from South Korea being harassed by three boys in the Taj Mahal. The boys, two of whom were from Meerut, tried to befriend the women and wanted to take their photographs, but on their refusal, they tried to force them,” he said.
The city’s tourist police, with a strength of 65, get 15-20 calls every day. The force was created in 2007 - the third of its kind in the country - after a sexual assault on two Japanese women.
The tourist police station number is displayed on the state government’s official website and travel brochures. The staff can also be reached by calling the national toll free number 100, but efforts were on to have a dedicated helpline telephone number soon, Gaur said.