More than 20,000 security personnel will be deployed during the 140th Rath Yatra of lord Jagannath to be conducted on Sunday in Ahmedabad.
“I am satisfied with the security arrangement done by the administration to ensure peaceful Rath Yatra this year,” said Minister of State for Home Pradeepsinh Jadeja after personally visiting the historic Jagannath temple situated in Jamalpur area of Ahmedabad.
Apart from around 20,000 security personne, including 26 units of Para-military forces, nearly 10,000 cops from the Ahmedabad city will be on standby during the annual procession of lord Jagannath, said commissioner of police AK Singh.
For the first time in the 140 years history of Rath Yatra in Ahmedabad, which is considered as second most important after Jagannath Puri in Odisha, a team of the National Security Guard (NSG) will be deployed on June 25.
The NSG hub has constructed at Raisan on the outskirts of the State capital Gandhinagar. Besides, a unit of the elite security force has been housed at a strategic location, near Ghoda Camp in Meghaninagar, the headquartersof the mounted police. Senior NSG officials already took stock of the situation by visiting the procession route.
More than two lakh people, including chariot pullers, devotees, those on trucks and tableaux, bhajan groups, akhadas and policemen would be part of 18 km long procession of lord Jagannath. The procession itself remains around two kilometres long and is one of the biggest mass festivals of the State putting both police and the State administration on their toes.
Entire route of the Rath Yatra will be under surveillance of more than 300 CCTV cameras. UAVs will take charge of aerial surveillance throughout the Rath Yatra procession. Similarly camera fitted police vehicles would also run along with the procession at certain distances.
As per tradition Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani will initiate Rath Yatra procession early in the morning by cleaning the path with golden broom on the auspicious day of Ashadhi Bij on Sunday. The ritual is called Pahind Vidhi. This year, the ritual will be jointly performed by Rupani and Deputy CM Nitin Patel. Former Gujarat Chief Minister and current Prime Minister did this ritual for 13 years. Major attractions of the Rath Yatra are the idols of lord Jagannath (Kirshna), his elder brother BalBhadra and sister Subhadra. The procession starts from a temple in Jamalpur area and reaches Saraspur and returns late in the evening at the same place.