HYDERABAD: Hyderabad Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Adeel Chandio on Wednesday cancelled leaves of police officers to perform duties on mourning processions in the Islamic month of Muharram. Reportedly, he presided over a meeting with all deputy superintendents of police and station house officers of the district and observed that 712 mourning processions and 783 Majalis-e-Aza would be organised on Ashura and on the first ten days of Muharram, respectively. He briefed that over 2,000 police commandoes, 100 district committee members and 400 scouts would perform security duties. He directed officers to install metal detecting walk-through gates, CCTV cameras, barbed wires and mobile jammers. Besides, sniper commandoes will be deployed on building roofs to guard routes of processions. Meanwhile, Shia groups held an emergent meeting under chairmanship of Ghulam Mustafa Veeser, and expressed concerns over failure of municipality to drain sewage from roads and lift heaps of garbage. The meeting warned to stage a massive sit-in, if sanitation situation was not improved. Published in Daily Times, September 13th 2018.