With July, 2022 comes the beginning of the Jagannath mela in various parts of India, a major Hindu celebration. This time, the yatras and events for the festivity were planned with double the care on two accounts – the two-year Covid-19 gap and the recent violence during Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti processions.

People have been celebrating their festivals with great pomp in 2022 owing to the intermittent lockdowns in the country during the Covid-19 pandemic. With vaccination campaigns functioning simultaneously, Odisha, Gujarat, Jharkhand and Uttar Pradesh governments have allowed for mass gatherings. However, following the violence that broke out during Ram Navami and Hanuman Jayanti celebrations earlier this year, security officials are taking extra care to ensure safe and peaceful yatras.

Odisha prepares for flood of devotees

Starting from Lord Jagannath’s homeland, Odisha, 180 police platoons (30 personnel each) and over 1,000 officials have been deployed in and around the city during the festival starting from July 1, as per Director General of Police (DGP) Sunil Bansal. According to News 18, lakhs of devotees are likely to visit the pilgrim town this year.

Anticipating terrorist threat, Bansal also announced anti-sabotage and metal detector checks near the category-A temple. Further, a bomb disposal squad, anti-terrorist squad and special tactical units will also be deployed. As for traffic, the administration has made adequate parking facilities for two-wheelers and four-wheelers. Out on the coast, security patrolling will be observed 12 nautical miles in the sea while the Indian Coast Guard will be on alert, reported News18.

Regarding medical precautions, Health Minister Naba Kishore Das asked those with cold, cough, fever not to come to the festival. Around 10 lakh face masks will be distributed by the Odisha State Medical Corporation Ltd (OSMCL) and rapid antigen tests will be made available for anyone with Covid-19 symptoms.

Heavy security deployment in Ranchi

ETV Bharat reported how three companies of Rapid Action Force (RAF) will be deployed along with Ranchi city police from July 1 to July 10, the duration of the rath mela. Following a meeting with temple administration, police said about 500 personnel will be on-duty for the Rath Yatra from Friday with 100 policemen in the fair for the 10 days.

It is worth noting that the June 10 protests that took the country by storm in decrial of suspended BJP leader Nupur Sharma’s hate speech turned violent in this region. Police resorted to lathi-charge and tear-gassing with viral videos of innocent youths getting caught in the officers’ rage. For this reason, the JMM-led government is taking extra care to ensure peaceful Rath yatra celebrations.

During the festival, the Miladri Bhawan inside the city temple premises will serve as a control room. As many as eight places will be barricaded as per temple committee request and soldiers posted in these regions. Additionally, there will be many display boards providing numbers of officers in case of emergency. Women battalions will be deployed, said ETV Bharat.

Traffic police personnel will be stationed on roads from the old assembly gate to the temple. Moreover, CCTVs will be installed in the premises, considering more than 1.5 lakh people are expected in Ranchi for this year’s festival.

Gujarat to take out at least seven yatras

Surat alone will hold six rath yatras from Friday, two of which are organised by the International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON), reported Times of India. The religious group’s yatra will follow the traditional route from railway station to Jahangirpura temple. Hundreds of people are expected to participate in this procession. The other yatras will be held in the city suburb Varachha. Police will hold patrolling marches on all these routes. Further, a company of state reserve police (SRP) was called from outside and around 3,500 police personnel from Surat will be on duty.

Surat’s Bardoli region faced confrontations during Ram Navami yatras in April apart from Vadodara, Sabarkantha and Anand districts. The violence at the time had thrown people in a state of disarray with extremist groups entering minority regions. Accordingly, the government appears to have prepared for any awry elements entering the fray this time.

In Ahmedabad, city police announced traffic diversions and laid out the final map for the 18 km yatra, where around four lakh devotees are expected to arrive, said the Indian Express.

The yatra will go from Jamalpur Darwaza to Saraspur and back to Jagannath Temple in Jamalpur. The procession will begin by 7 AM after Union Home Minister Amit Shah conducts an aarti. The devotees will return to the temple by 6 PM.

Over 25,000 state police personnel and other security agencies will be deployed during the yatra while the routes will be shut for a few hours. The traffic police requested commuters to use the alternate route of Raikhad Char Rasta to Victoria Garden to riverfront to flower market to Jamalpur bridge to travel to Geeta Mandir Road. Similarly, commuters travelling towards Paldi are to go from Astodia Char Rasta to Geeta Mandir to Jamalpur bridge to Sardar bridge.

Taking similar caution is the Uttar Pradesh government. In Varanasi, Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police Dinesh Kumar Puri said traffic diversion will be effective from July 1 to July 4. Vehicles moving towards rath yatra crossing will be diverted on alternative routes from Gurubagh, Baijnattha, mahmoorganj and sigra crossings from 12 PM to 4 AM, said the Times of India.

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