The State administration heaved sigh of relief following peaceful completion of 141st Rath Yatra of lord Jagannath in Ahmedabad on Saturday in presence of lakhs of devotees and amid tight security arrangement.
India’s second biggest annual procession (Rath Yatra) of lord Jagannath after Puri in Odisha passes through some of the communally sensitive areas in old Ahmedabad city. Security forces were on their toes as police had found 16 crude bombs near Gomatipur area on Friday evening. like past many years, the main feature of the procession was participation of large number of Muslims in the Rath Yatra. In its 18 km long route, the Rath Yatra passes through several Muslim dominated areas. People witness communal harmony as local Muslim leaders came forward to welcome the lord Jagannath’s procession.
There was a time when communal riots used to initiate during Rath Yatra in Ahmedabad and surrounding areas. Despite communal harmony being prevailed for almost past two decades, state administration is not taking any chance and converts entire route of the procession into fortress to avoid any untoward incident.
Meanwhile on Saturday evening Chief Minister Vijay Rupani and Deputy Chief Minister Nitin Patel flagged off the traditional Jagannath Rath Yatra of Ahmedabad on the occasion of Asadhi Bij, second lunar day of month of Asadh. They performed the ‘pahind’ ceremony the first to cleanse the idol of lord Jagannath with golden broom amidst chanting of ‘Jai Ranchhod… Jai Makhan Chor…’ by lakhs of devotees who assembled at the starting point of the Rath Yatra at the historic 400 years old Jagannath temple at Jamalpur.
Speaking on the occasion, CM Rupani said, this is the auspicious day when lord Jagannath begins a round of the city in chariot since morning to give ‘darshan’ to his devotees, before returning to the temple by the evening.
“May the lord’s blessings be continuously bestowed on the citizens of entire Gujarat, showering happiness, safety, progress and prosperity on the people. The lord also listened to the people’s prayers for rain in different parts of the state,” he said. The Chief Minister also extended New Year greetings of Asadhi Bij to the people of Kutch.
The Chief Minister’s Office (CMO) monitored real-time Rath Yatra using latest technology — ‘Dashboard Command Control Wall’. The CM Dashboard device as ‘Third Eye’ constantly updates real-time data from Government services and send backs directives.
Besides vigilance directly from CMO, first time in the history of Rath Yatra high resolution cameras mounted Israeli helium balloons were used to enhance security cover.