Ahmedabad, Jul 15 (PTI) The 149th Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra or chariot procession will start in the city on Thursday morning amid tight security with the traditional ‘Pahind Vidhi’ to be performed by Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel.
More than 30,000 security personnel backed by AI-powered surveillance tools including face recognition technology and drones would be deployed to ensure a peaceful procession, police said.
The annual procession, taken out every year on Ashadhi Bij, the second day of the Hindu month of Ashad, will begin at around 7 am from the 400-year-old Lord Jagannath temple in Jamalpur after CM Patel performs the symbolic ritual of sweeping the path of the chariots with a golden broom.
Before the deities are placed on the chariots, Union Home Minister Amit Shah will visit the temple at around 4 am to participate in the ‘Mangla Aarti’, Ahmedabad Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut said.
The chariots of Lord Jagannath, his elder brother Balbhadra and sister Subhadra will then be pulled by members of the Khalasi community as per the centuries-old tradition.
Lakhs of devotees gather at the temple and along the 16-km route to witness the procession which passes through communally sensitive localities such as Jamalpur, Kalupur, Shahpur and Dariyapur before returning to the temple at around 9 pm after nearly 14 hours.
The procession, stretching for upto 1.5 km, will comprise 18 decorated elephants, around 100 trucks carrying tableaux, nearly 30 akhadas and religious congregations, about 20 bhajan mandalis (groups) and the three chariots.
Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, Gahlaut said around 30,000 personnel, including city police, Home Guards and Traffic Brigade (TRB) jawans, have been deployed for the event.
Nearly 1,100 senior officers including 10 DIG/IG-rank officers, 42 SP/DCP-rank officers, 93 ACPs, 303 Police Inspectors and 673 Police Sub-Inspectors will be on duty.
As many as 3,000 State Reserve Police (SRP) personnel, five companies of the Rapid Action Force (RAF), four companies of the Border Security Force (BSF) and three specialised Chetak commando teams would be deployed for rapid response.
Around 2,000 personnel will accompany the three chariots and 100 trucks.
More than 250 rooftop surveillance points and another 250 “deep points” inside the bylanes along the route have been created to monitor the procession and dominate sensitive areas, the police commissioner said.
Technology will play a major role in this year’s security plan, Gahlaut said.
More than 3,700 CCTV cameras have been installed along the route and their live feed will be monitored from 12 control rooms.
AI-enabled video analytics will monitor crowd movement, while photographs of over 65,000 persons with criminal records have been uploaded into the facial recognition system to generate instant alerts, Gahlaut told reporters.
More than 100 drone cameras will conduct aerial surveillance up to 500 metres beyond the procession route, while two anti-drone jamming guns have been deployed to neutralise unauthorised drones.
Police have also been equipped with body-worn cameras. Public address systems have been installed along the route, and all vehicles and chariots participating in the procession have been mapped using GPS and GIS technology.
Police held 29 meetings with truck drivers and akhada organisers to ensure adherence to safety protocols and route discipline.
Lost-and-found arrangements have also been put in place for children, and parents have been urged to keep identification slips carrying names, addresses and contact numbers in their children’s pockets.
Gahlaut said police have taken more than 5,000 preventive actions over the last one-and-a-half months ahead of the Rath Yatra.
Ninety persons have been booked under the Prevention of Anti-Social Activities Act (PASA), 70 have been externed, while 24 cases under the Arms Act and 31 under the Narcotic Drugs and Psychotropic Substances (NDPS) Act have been registered.
A dedicated Cyber Crime unit is monitoring the dark web and social media round the clock, and strict legal action will be taken against anyone found spreading rumours or circulating unauthorised videos related to the Rath Yatra, the commissioner warned. PTI PJT PD KRK
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