Security tightened in Jamshedpur ahead of Ram Navami procession

Jamshedpur: Security was tightened in the steel city on Friday ahead of Ram Navami processions, slated to be taken out later during the day.

Dhalbhum sub-divisional officer Piyush Sinha said around 200 licensed akhara committees will take out Ramanavami immersion processions in the city on Friday.

The official said the deputy commissioner Vijaya Jadhav and senior superintendent of police Prabhat Kumar inspected all routes of the processions, including in sensitive and super sensitive areas and issued directions to senior officials.

Areas like Mango, Hanuman Mandir, Munshi Mohalla masjid, Daiguttu and Shastri Nagar are considered super sensitive, while Kharangajhar, Telco, Dhatkidih and Sakchi are sensitive areas.

Kumar said a strict vigil on social media was being kept round-the-clock. The district administration has set up temporary CCTV and night vision cameras in these areas to keep a vigil on mischief makers, an official statement said.

These cameras are being installed in addition to the CCTV cameras already installed across the city.

Besides, there will be drone surveillance of the processions, it said.

Kumar said a strict vigil will be maintained to ensure that immersion of Ramanavami jhandas (flags) is completed in different river ghats by 8 pm on Friday night and deviation of specified procession routes will not be allowed. Besides, DJs and the playing of songs were disallowed.

The police staged flag marches in the city on Thursday and deployed rapid action force to ensure peaceful conduct of Ramanavami processions.

Jadhav and Kumar have asked the akhara committees to ensure that the road traffic is not be hampered during the processions and barricades were set up in some busy areas.

They also directed that bricks, stone chips and other construction materials kept on the wayside be removed so that they are not used by mischief makers.

Temporary structures installed in some places near Dimna chowk were evacuated, officials said.

Meanwhile, police carried out a vehicle checking drive in the city and penalized around 350 vehicles for drunk and rash driving. It seized 42 vehicles, including bikes, and penalised them.

Besides, 12 people were fined for selling petrol in liquor bottles, the officials said.