The police have issued notification affecting traffic diversion on 30 roads and junctions in the city, which will be effected from 1 pm on Sunday until the end of the yatra.
The Vadodara City Police has tightened security on the route of Sunday’s Rath Yatra, especially since it coincides with Muharram.
Saturday saw the Bomb Disposal and Dog squad carrying out checks in the vicinity of the Vadodara railway station, from where the yatra will pass. The police, which have identified vigilance points and deployed drone cameras along the route of the yatra, will also monitor the route live.
The police have issued notification affecting traffic diversion on 30 roads and junctions in the city, which will be effected from 1 pm on Sunday until the end of the yatra.
Senior police officers on Saturday held meetings with the local peace committees, involving leaders of both Hindu and Muslim communities, requesting restraint and compassion as the two religious events coincide on Sunday.
Following this, the Muslim community decided to install Tazias to mark Muharram on Monday, instead of Sunday – the first day of Muharram observance.
Zahid Saiyed, president of the Tazia Committee, said that the meeting with the police was “fruitful”. “We have decided that the Tazias will be installed on Monday to allow the police to concentrate on the Yatra… We decided this unanimously after the meeting senior officers, including Commissioner of Police Narsimha Komar,” he added.
In Padra, which has witnessed sporadic communal clashes during festivals last year, Vadodara (Rural) Superintendent of Police Rohan Anand held a peace committee meeting with members of the Hindu and Muslim communities, requesting the communities to avoid posting provocative messages on social media that could hurt sentiments.
“We held a meeting with the leaders of Hindu and Muslim communities of Padra, as Ashadi Beej Jagannath Yatra is being held on July 6 and Muharram rituals are also beginning. We have requested the people to be sensitive towards each others’ sentiments,” Anand said.
The Vadodara (Rural) Police has deployed personnel as well as special teams from the Crime Branch and Special Operations Group to maintain law and order. A unit of State Reserve Police has also been deployed in Padra.
In Surat, Rath Yatra will be taken out from six locations under strict security arrangement, the police said on Saturday.
Surat Police Commissioner Anupam Singh Gahlaut said, “The entire Surat Police will be on the roads on Sunday for the processions. Over 600 police personnel, wearing bodyworn cameras, will walk with the procession.” He added that for the first time, drones will also be used for surveillance.
The processions will be taken out from the Iskcon temples at Jehangirpura and Varachha as well as from Mahidharpura, Katargam, Sachin and Pandesara.
Three joint police commissioners, 20 assistant commissioners , 41 inspectors, 150 sub-inspectors as well as 4,000 constables and head constables will patrol the streets. Besides 600 police personnel wearing bodyworn cameras, 870 CCTV cameras have been installed across the route of the processions.