Massive Security Deployment for Ahmedabad's 147th Rath Yatra

The 147th Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath in Ahmedabad will be heavily secured by over 22,000 personnel on July 7. Enhanced measures like face detection cameras, drones, and surveillance will be implemented. Measures are in place to prevent stampedes, with barricades and batch division of participants.

The 147th annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath will be held on July 7 in Ahmedabad, with over 22,000 security personnel ensuring the safety of the event that attracts lakhs of devotees, an official announced on Thursday.

In light of the recent Hathras stampede in Uttar Pradesh, which resulted in over 100 fatalities, special measures will be taken to manage the crowd, said Ahmedabad Commissioner of Police GS Malik during a press conference following a review meeting with nearly 600 police officers.

This year, the police force will utilize face detection cameras to identify criminals by cross-referencing crowd faces with their database, Malik noted.

The security measures will also include the deployment of 20 drones and balloon-mounted cameras to monitor people's movements, the official added.

Personnel from the Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF) like the BSF and Rapid Action Force, along with 35 companies of the State Reserve Police (SRP), will be stationed along the 16-km Yatra route and key locations.

More than 22,000 security personnel will be mobilized on July 7, including 12,000 from the regular police force, 6,000 Home Guards, 11 CAPF companies, and 35 SRP companies, Malik confirmed.

Of these, 4,500 personnel will escort the entire route of the procession on foot, while 1,931 will manage traffic, he said.

Extra precautions will be taken to prevent any potential stampedes, with entry and exit regulated via barricades and the crowd segmented into batches, Malik said.

Senior police officials will oversee the procession with the aid of 1,733 body-worn cameras linked to a control room.

Additionally, about 1,400 CCTV cameras installed by shopkeepers along the route will support live surveillance, the official indicated.

Real-time footage of the Rath Yatra will be broadcast to the police control room, a dedicated control room at the Circuit House, the DGP office, and the chief minister's office in Gandhinagar, he mentioned.

An official statement revealed that 20 drones and 96 surveillance cameras will cover 47 locations along the route. Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel reviewed the security measures for the religious event in a recent meeting with various officials, including Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi and Director General of Police (DGP) Vikas Sahay.

Malik gave a detailed presentation on the Rath Yatra's security arrangements during the meeting, according to the release.

In preparation for medical emergencies, 16 ambulances and medical teams will be on standby across five government hospitals. Additionally, 17 help desks will be installed along the entire route to assist citizens, the statement said.

As per decades-old tradition, the procession, led by chariots, will begin early at around 7 am from the 400-year-old Lord Jagannath Temple in Jamalpur and conclude by 8 pm, covering various areas in the Old City, including some communally sensitive zones.

The event usually features 18 festively adorned elephants, 100 trucks, and 30 'akhadas' (local gymnasiums).

The chariots of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balbhadra, and sister Subhadra will be traditionally drawn by Khalashi community members.

Thousands of devotees line the route to catch a glimpse of the deities.

(This story has not been edited by Devdiscourse staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)