Elephants in the July 16 Rath Yatra in Ahmedabad will wear GPS trackers, sound-monitoring sensors, and gyroscope-based movement detectors to ensure there is no repeat of last year’s incident in which one of the animals ran amok during the procession.
The Ahmedabad Police central control room will monitor the movement of the 18 elephants through the 16-km route of the procession using the ‘Gaj Rakshak’ application, an elephant-tracking system developed by the forest department of Madhya Pradesh.
“The system will enable early detection of abnormal movement, excessive noise exposure, and route deviations, allowing immediate response by police, mahouts, veterinary teams, and Quick Response Teams (QRTs),” Police Inspector Dhenu Thakar told The Indian Express. The idea is to ensure both public safety and animal welfare, Thakar said.
Two people were injured after a caparisoned elephant started to behave wildly on June 27 last year, breaking away from the ceremonial procession and running in the opposite direction in a crowded, narrow street in the walled city. A couple of other elephants too strayed from the procession, triggering panic in the crowd. The animals, who were ultimately controlled by mahouts and taken away by police, were reportedly distressed by the noise and loud music.
The route of the Rath Yatra
The Ahmedabad Rath Yatra is the largest after the Puri-Jagannath Yatra. Almost 1 lakh people turn out to watch the procession. The 148th Rath Yatra last year began after Union Home Minister Amit Shah performed a Mangala Aarti at 4 am at the Jagannath Temple in Jamalpur. Chief Minister Bhupendra Patel did the pahind ritual (sweeping with a golden broom) subsequently.
At the 149th Rath Yatra on Thursday, the three massive wooden chariots carrying the idols of Lord Jagannath, his brother Balabhadra, and their sister Subhadra, will be accompanied by 18 bhajan mandalis and 101 decorated trucks.
The procession will leave from the Jagannath Temple and head to Jamalpur Darwaza, then to Vaishya Sabha, through Dhal Ni Pol to reach Raipur Chakla, and from there to Sarangpur Chakla. It will then proceed to Khadia crossroads, Panchkuva Darwaza, and Kalupur railway station to reach Kalupur Circle. Thereafter, the procession will go to Itwada Circle to reach its destination, Ranchhodji Mandir at Sarangpur crossroads.
The Yatra will return to the Jagannath Temple via Prem Darwaza, Shahpur Adda, Gheekanta road, and Manek Chowk.
Facial recognition and surveillance
The Ahmedabad City Police will use the PINAC 2.0 Facial Recognition System at the main gate of the Jagannath Temple.
The AI-enabled system developed by the Ahmedabad Police in-house, is integrated with a database of more than 65,000 known pickpockets and other criminals. According to police, it will enable real-time identification of suspicious persons and strengthen preventive security.
A network of 3,465 CCTV cameras across 84 points will allow continuous monitoring of the entire Rath Yatra route, with special focus on vulnerable and dark zones. The integrated surveillance system will enable faster incident detection, improved coordination, and effective law-and-order management, police said.
Stampede avoidance system
The Detection of Crime Branch (DCB) will deploy more than 65 drones for continuous aerial surveillance across the Rath Yatra route. There will be live monitoring of crowds and traffic, and the movement of the procession through sensitive locations and critical junctions.
The AI-based Stampede Avoidance System introduced during the 2025 Rath Yatra, will calculate the density of people in a particular area and assess, based on space parameters, the danger of a stampede. Based on the assessment of this system, alerts will be sent to officers deployed for the Rath Yatra.
Deployment on the ground
More than 30,000 uniformed personnel and officers of the local and armed police will be deployed during the Rath Yatra, including personnel from the local police, State Reserve Police Force (SRPF), Central Armed Police Forces (CAPF), and Home Guards.
Nineteen Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad (BDDS) teams, Dog Squad units, 15 Quick Response Teams (QRTs) and Chetak Commandos will be stationed at strategic locations across the procession route, JCP Sector-1 Neerajkumar Badgujar said in a statement.
At least 2,862 police personnel will wear body cameras; cameras will also be mounted on police vehicles. Four command and control vehicles, 17 Vajra anti-riot vehicles, seven water cannons, and eight Light Armoured Troop Carriers (LATCs) will be deployed.
A ‘Divya Netra’ Van, an advanced mobile surveillance vehicle equipped with a 360-degree camera system, will scan vehicle number plates for real-time identification.
Personnel at the 44 public assistance stalls will have portable voice amplifiers and speakers to make announcements on movements, missing persons, and emergencies. They will also disseminate information and issue public advisories.
“An AI-based calling system will automatically deliver deployment details to police personnel… Through automated voice calls, officers will receive their duty points, details of reporting officers, reporting time, deployment instructions, emergency contact information, and other important bandobast-related updates,” Inspector Thakar said.
Ahmedabad city police with various forces conduct patrol march on the route of annual Rath Yatra procession, in Ahmedabad on Monday. (ANI Photo)
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