Mumbai Police deploy over 25,000 personnel for Ganeshotsav security

With Ganeshotsav approaching, the Mumbai Police force has gone into full readiness mode. For the past two to three days, officers at every level, from senior officials to ordinary personnel, have been engaged in preparations to ensure nothing is left wanting. Coordination is being worked out with the municipal corporation, traffic police, security guard force and the Central Reserve Security Force. At the same time, contact is being maintained at the zonal level with public Ganesh mandals in each area.

More than 25,000 police personnel will be deployed for this ten-day security operation. On immersion day, the number will rise to around 30,000 to 32,000 police officers and staff. Ganpati festival, one of Maharashtra's biggest festivals, draws huge crowds of devotees in Mumbai wanting to view public Ganpati idols and decorations, and it is during this period that Mumbai Police face their real test.

Along with maintaining law and order, the police also have to ensure that no religious tension spreads and no riots break out, while keeping watch on terrorist and anti-national activities. For this, police departments such as the Law and Order Administration, the Anti-Terrorism Squad and the Crime Investigation Department remain on alert. The traffic police, who deal directly with the public, also have to work round the clock to keep traffic flowing smoothly. From the start of Ganeshotsav until immersion, police have to remain on duty 24 hours a day.

Given the security situation, a complete ban has already been imposed, two days in advance, from September 13 to October 12 on equipment such as drones, remote-controlled micro-light aircraft and paragliders. On immersion day, apart from the 30,000 to 32,000 police officers and staff, the Coast Guard, 16 platoons of the State Reserve Police Force and five Central Reserve platoons will also be deployed for security. Additionally, anti-riot squad vehicles and a special women's police squad will be present. According to police officials, this is preliminary information and changes may be made if required.

This year, the city has around six and a half thousand public Ganesh mandals of various sizes, while Ganpati idols will be installed in nearly one and three-quarter lakh homes. Accidents have previously occurred during the arrival processions of tall idols at Bhuleshwar and Sheetal Talao in Kurla, attributed to poor road conditions. Fortunately, everyone remained calm at the time, but to prevent such incidents from recurring, coordination has been established between mandals with tall idols and the municipal corporation. The city already has a network of CCTV cameras in place, but officials said that in suspicious and sensitive areas, advanced AI-technology cameras have also been installed.