Gujarat Police will literally turn Ahmedabad into fortress on Sunday in view of 137th Rath Yatra as more nearly 20,000 cops are to be deployed along the 18-km long route passing through different areas of the city.
The procession will start from Jagannath Temple in Jamalpur area on the auspicious day of ‘Ashadhi Bij’ (June 29) as per Hindu calendar. It would comprise 18 elephants, 100 trucks, 30 religious congregations, 18 singing troupes, seven cars and three chariots.
“Apart from 19,000 uniformed police and paramilitary men, 2,500 personnel of State Reserve Police (SRP) will also be deployed. Besides, four Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) will travel mid-air along the procession to provide aerial surveillance to the cops. Moreover, 54 dedicated CCTV cameras have been fixed on the route to monitor the event,” said Shivanand Jha, Ahmedabad Commissioner of Police.
Reinforcement would include eight IG and DIG-level officers, 39 SPs, 76 Dy SPs, 222 police inspectors, 759 sub-inspectors, 266 police women, 12,050 constables, two Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) companies, 36 companies of the Gujarat State Reserve Police (SRP), eight companies of the Border Security Force (BSF), four Central Industrial Security Force (CISF) companies, four Rapid Action Force (RAF) companies and 4,500 home guards.
Jha said that in addition to these forces, neibhbourhood committee volunteers and other local leaders will also help the cops and stand at different points. “Before the beginning of Rath Yatra, the police will conduct two rehearsals on the procession route,” he added.
Chariots of lord Jagannath will be guarded with GPS that will give real-time information to police control room. 241 terrace points and 24 watch towers have also been created, especially in sensitive and narrow areas to enhance vigil to avoid any untoward incident. Four teams of bomb disposal squad and 74 mounted officials for anti sabotage checking.
As part or preventative measure, the police have rounded up more than 6000 people for cases pertaining to prohibition, gambling, illegal possession of weapon, prevention of anti-social activities etc.