Ahmedabad Prepares for Annual Lord Jagannath Rath Yatra; Over 18,000 Cops Deployed

Ahmedabad: The 147th annual Rath Yatra of Lord Jagannath will take place on July 7 in Ahmedabad, where more than 18,000 security personnel will be deployed to guard the event which draws lakhs of devotees, officials said.

Senior police officials will closely monitor the procession with the help of 1,733 body-worn cameras connected to a control room. Additionally, 20 drones and 96 surveillance cameras have been installed at 47 locations along the route, according to an official release on Wednesday.

Around 1,400 CCTV cameras installed by shopkeepers on the route will also be used for live surveillance, it said.

Gujarat Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel reviewed the security preparations for the major religious event during a meeting attended by Minister of State for Home Harsh Sanghavi and Director General of Police Vikas Sahay. Ahmedabad Commissioner of Police GS Malik presented detailed security arrangements for the Rath Yatra.

Plan of Action

Malik informed the CM that as many as 18,784 security personnel, including Inspector General of Police (IG)-rank officers, will be deployed on the 16 km route in Ahmedabad for the Rath Yatra. Of these, 4,500 personnel will walk with the procession, while 1,931 will handle traffic management.

To address potential medical emergencies, 16 ambulances, and medical teams at five government-run hospitals will be on standby. Additionally, 17 help desks will be set up along the route to assist citizens.

Following tradition, the procession, led by chariots, will start around 7 am from the 400-year-old Lord Jagannath temple in the Jamalpur area and return by 8 pm after passing through various localities in the Old City, including some communally sensitive areas.

The procession typically includes 18 decorated elephants, 100 trucks, and 30 'akhadas' (local gymnasiums).

The raths (chariots) of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balbhadra, and his sister Subhadra will be pulled by members of the Khalashi community, maintaining the age-old tradition. Large crowds gather along the route to glimpse the deities.

(Inputs from PTI)