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Squads to crack down on sexual harassment, anti-chain snatching units, riot control police, and bomb squad and quick response teams are part of an 8,500-strong police force deployed in Pune for the Ganpati immersion procession. Help desks for children and the elderly have been set up and tracks earmarked for ambulances and fire brigade vehicles.
As Pune city prepares to bid farewell to its beloved and revered deity Ganpati Bappa on Thursday, the police have geared up for their largest security deployment of the year to ensure the smooth conduct of the visarjan miravnuk or immersion processions of the Ganesh idols.
A month-long preparation went into the planning of the security deployment, traffic diversions and road closures that are in place from Thursday morning till the time idols immersion is completed in the artificial reservoirs and at various river ghats in the city.
Along with staff from local police stations, additional staff from the police headquarters, city police commissionerate and reserved police will also be deployed. Police officials said the entire staff of the traffic control branch would be on the roads. The traffic branch has released a list of roads that will be closed for traffic till the processions get over the next day. This year 3,865 Ganesh mandals have installed idols while an estimated 6.14 lakh idols are installed in individual houses in the city, according to the police.
The Pune city crime branch has mobilised its teams that include squads to prevent sexual harassment, chain snatching and road robbery. Some of these units remain stationed at key points and some others will be on patrolling duties.
Apart from the full strength of the city police, additional personnel from neighbouring jurisdictions, companies of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF), home guards and a large number of citizen volunteers are part of the security arrangements in place in the city from Thursday morning till the early hours of Friday.
While the deployment is being headed by Commissioner of Police Retesh Kumaarr and Joint Commissioner of Police Sandeep Karnik, it is coordinated by four additional commissioners, 10 deputy commissioners, over 25 assistant commissioners and will also comprise 155 inspectors, 578 assistant and sub-inspectors and 6,827 police personnel, 950 home guards and two companies of the SRPF comprising 240 personnel.
The quick response teams, riot control vehicles will be on the standby and the bomb squad teams will be deployed at key positions. Police deployment has also been made to the specific spots on riverbanks where idols will be immersed. Teams of swimmers and rescue experts from local groups are present to help devotees with the idol immersion.
