After designating six water bodies for immersion ceremony of idols of Goddess Durga and other deities, Ranchi police has now formed six teams of expert swimmers to ensure no untowardly incident comes to pass during the ceremony.
“We have selected strong swimmers from the police force itself and have divided them in six teams. They will be at the water bodies selected for immersion ceremony. Their job is to rescue drowning people as well as ensure they do not cross the safety line during the visarjan ceremony,” said Ranchi SSP Prabhat Kumar while overseeing a demonstration from one of the teams at Ranchi lake.
The teams will be equipped with makeshift rafts, inflated rubber tubes, long bamboo sticks and lengths of rope, which will be used for rescue operations.
“We will be deploying security forces at the periphery of designated immersion locations for security. We will see to it that idols from various places are immersed in an orderly manner so as to prevent unnecessary crowding on the banks,” SSP said.
Policemen in civil dress will also keep an eye out for hooligans during the ceremony, he added.