Andhra Pradesh: OCTOPUS mock drill at Indrakeeladri to enhance temple safety, security

Vijayawada (Andhra Pradesh) [India], March 20 : Focusing on the safety of devotees and temple security in case of any untoward incident, the Andhra Pradesh Organisation for Counter Terrorist Operations (OCTOPUS) unit conducted a mock drill on Indrakeeladri from midnight on March 19, 2025, to the early hours of Thursday.
As per a release, according to the drill scenario, unidentified threats were reported to have reached Indrakeeladri via the staircase route. Upon receiving this information from temple authorities and One Town police, the OCTOPUS team first convened at the Jammidoddi meeting hall.
As per the release, officials from the temple, police, revenue, and other departments discussed the situation, formulated an action plan based on the temple map, and deployed armed commandos to Indrakeeladri. The team courageously neutralised explosive materials and weapons held by the intruders, took them into custody, and demonstrated how devotees would be safeguarded in such situations.
According to the release, the exercise also guided the roles and responsibilities of temple staff, local police, security personnel, medical teams, and revenue officials during emergencies.
This awareness programme was conducted under the supervision of OCTOPUS Additional SP Sri Raja Reddy and OCTOPUS DSP Sri Tirupatayya, with active participation from temple authorities, One Town police, revenue officers, and fire department personnel.