As part of its preparedness for the upcoming 139th rath yatra, the State administration has decided to deploy 28 companies of paramilitary forces, 27 companies of the State Reserve Police and special teams from Nagaland and Assam.
The annual rath yatra of lord Jagannath, which is considered the second-biggest after Puri in Odisha, passes through communally-sensitive areas of Ahmedabad on the auspicious day of Ashadhi-Bij as per the Hindu calendar. This year, Ashadhi-Bij is falling on Wednesday, July 6. The Gujarat Police would be on its toes as the biggest festival of Muslims, Eid, is likely to fall on the same day.
A senior Gujarat Police official connected with the security arrangements, said that for the rath yatra entourage, which would pass through different parts of Ahmedabad, covering a distance of more than 14 kms, 28 companies of paramilitary forces including Border Security Force (BSF), Central Industrial Security Force (CISF), Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) and riot control expert Rapid Action Force (RAF) would be deployed to ensure peaceful conclusion of the rath yatra procession in the city.
According to the official, teams from Nagaland and Assam armed forces have already arrived in Ahmedabad and deployed in the most sensitive areas the rath yatra is going to pass through. Moreover, five companies of CRPF have arrived from Jammu & Kashmir, while two companies of women’s wing of the CRPF have come from Nagpur. Nine companies of the BSF from Kutch and four of the CISF from Chennai, two from Mumbai and one from Gujarat, four companies of the RAF from Ahmedabad and two from Bhopal will arrive by the beginning of July.
like last year, the entire route of the yatra will be under surveillance of 300 CCTV cameras. UAVs will take charge of aerial surveillance throughout the yatra. Similarly camera-fitted-police vehicles would also run along with the procession at a certain distance.