72 police platoons for Debasnan Purnima in Puri: DGP

Bhubaneswar: At least 72 platoons of police forces will be deployed at Jagannath Temple in Puri to ensure smooth conduct of Debasnan Purnima festival on June 29. Also known as Snan Yatra, the festival is a key ritual ahead of the Rath Yatra scheduled for July 16.

DGP Y B Khurania chaired a preparatory meeting with senior officers at the state police headquarters in Cuttack on Wednesday, urging them to “pull up their socks” for a hassle-free Snan Yatra.

“To maintain law and order in and around the temple, 72 platoons of police forces will be stationed. At the senior level, duties have been assigned to six SPs/commandants, 17 ASPs, 42 DSPs, and 94 inspectors. In addition, 352 SIs/ASIs, 53 havildars, and 428 constables will be on duty for the festival,” Khurania said.

Special barricades will be erected at the Snana Mandap inside the shrine to regulate the arrival of devotees and ensure orderly queues for darshan. Police officers said advanced CCTV cameras will be installed inside and around the temple, covering all barricaded zones to strengthen surveillance. The plan entails dedicated response teams kept on standby inside the temple and at barricades to tackle emergencies. “Separate anti-snatching squads will be deployed to curb pickpocketing and chain-snatching, while a striking force will be positioned to handle sudden contingencies,” the DGP said.

“Separate anti-snatching squads will be deployed to curb pickpocketing and chain-snatching, while a striking force will be positioned to handle sudden contingencies,” the DGP said.

Khurania directed senior officers to coordinate closely with other departments of the district administration to ensure successful conduct of the sacred festival.

Underlining the priorities, Puri SP Prateek Singh said: “Safety of devotees, crowd control, and traffic regulation are our focus areas. With the expected influx of pilgrims, certain restrictions on movement inside the temple will be necessary to maintain order.”

Police have also roped in NGOs whose volunteers will assist in crowd management and traffic regulation. Volunteers have been briefed to provide drinking water to devotees waiting in queues.

Temple sources said at least 22 rituals will be performed during Debasnan Purnima. The sibling deities — Lords Jagannath, Balabhadra, and goddess Subhadra — will be given a ceremonial bath on the Snan Mandap (bathing dais) and later appear in Hati Besha, donning elephant attire in the evening.