4 lakh Indians safe

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Dubai: Bahrain's monarch on Wednesday declared a three-month state of emergency, amid growing pro-democracy protests in the country, forcing it to invite troops from Saudi Arabia and UAE to quell the unrest.

Bahrain's King Hamad bin Isa Al Khalifa issued a decree declaring what it called a three-month State of National Safety in light of the worsening security situation in the country.

Meanwhile, all Indians in Bahrain are safe in spite of widespread protests and emergency being declared across the Gulf kingdom, an embassy source in Manama has said.

"All Indians are safe in Bahrain but we are requesting New Delhi not to allow Indians to undertake non-essential travel to Bahrain," a senior embassy source said.

There are an estimated four lakh Indians in Bahrain.

"We are in touch with community leaders and we are asking community members to stack up ration in the event of the confrontation dragging on for long," he said on the condition of anonymity.

A helpline have also been set up by the Indian embassy in Bahrain to tackle any emergency situation.

Indian Embassy officials said they have set an emergency helpline but things are largely under control.

Most of the phones, including that of the Indian ambassador in Bahrain, was unreachable.

Bahrain is home to the US Fifth Fleet and major international banks and finance institutions.

The King's decree said that the decision has been taken following a worsening security situation that posed a serious threat to the citizens lives.

King Hamad has delegated the Commander-in-Chief of the Bahrain Defence Force (BDF) to take the necessary measures in order to implement the Decree.

Meanwhile, the country's Representatives Council welcomed the deployment of the GCC troops sent by Saudi Arabia and the UAE in order to help maintain security, safety and stability the kingdom in line with the Common Defence Agreement signed between the GCC states.

The council stressed the need to enforce law and stop anarchy before starting the process of dialogue.

The UAE on Monday dispatched security forces to Bahrain to help in the country's bid to maintain law and order.