How drones kept an eye on terraces to secure Ganesh idol immersion route in Vadodara

“There has been a history of rioting incidents during crowded processions, and in most cases, it is observed that the stones have been pelted from terraces or rooftops of structures by miscreants looking to breach the peace and break the law. The drone surveillance was to look for signs of potential trouble in the form of objects or persons on the terraces of the structures,” a senior police official said.

“Since much of the groundwork was already done by the police earlier, especially after the August 26 incident, we did not spot piles of stones or other objects that needed to be cleared from the terrace,” the official added.

The official added that while some drones focused on surveilling the procession, dedicated drones scanned the periphery as the procession moved along, to spot any potential law and order hindrances. “Police deployment was there on the terraces, but the drones cover a bigger area with perspective… In the August 26 incident, the eggs were hurled from a higher floor of a structure, and the accused had enough time to escape, as it becomes difficult to locate the exact spot where the provocation comes from. Drone surveillance helps keep vigil on minute movements as the officials monitoring the drone have their eyes trained to spot the potential situation in time,” the official explained.

On Tuesday, just ahead of the procession, the city police also installed tin sheets in various places along the route to block entry points from multiple lanes into the procession area—a routine part of security arrangements for the Juni Gadi procession every year.

The procession passed through Panigate, Bhadra Kacheri—where it was welcomed by members of the minority community—and Mandvi, before heading towards an artificial pond for immersion.

“The walled city area of Vadodara is a mixed neighbourhood of Hindu and Muslim communities…It is with cooperation from both communities and their mutual respect that we have been able to ensure that the festivals go off peacefully. We are confident that the upcoming five days until the last day of Visarjan (on September 6) will be completed successfully,” Narasimha Komar, Commissioner of Police, Vadodara City, told the media on Tuesday.

“The police department has ensured a coordinated security arrangement with advance planning and deployment of force and technology…,” he added.

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