Kolkata, March 26 (IANS) Tension-prone pockets across different districts of West Bengal have been kept under a blanket security cover since Thursday morning, anticipating tension and violence over Ram Navami processions later in the day.

Special security measures have been adopted across the entire Kolkata-adjacent Hooghly district, Chandannagar in Hooghly district, and Islampur in North Dinajpur district, keeping in mind instances of massive violence and riot-like situations during processions in the past, especially in 2025.

On Wednesday evening, an emergency virtual meeting on this count was conducted at the state secretariat, Nabanna, which was chaired by the Chief Secretary Dushyant Nariala and attended, among others, by the state home secretary, Sanghamitra Ghosh, and state director general of police, Siddh Nath Gupta, the district magistrates and district police superintendents, among others.

“Multiple instructions have been given to the police to ensure that there is no unrest in the processions. There will be extra vigilance in Howrah, Chandannagar, and Islampur, because of the past instances of violence and tension in these pockets during the processions. It was decided that a total of 3,000 police officers will be deployed in different districts just to ensure a stable law and order situation over the processions,” said a state government official who was present at the meeting.

At the same time, he added, special focus has been given to Kolkata, and around 1,000 police personnel will be deputed in the city along with handling the security of different processions on the occasion of Ram Navami.

At the time, cyber surveillance is being constantly carried out to prevent the spread of provocative posts on the occasion

All the District Magistrates, Police Commissioners, and Superintendents of Police have been asked to conduct this special surveillance till March 29, considering that there have been instances in the past of tension surfacing even a couple of days after the auspicious occasion.

At the same time, clear instructions have been given that Ram Navami processions would be allowed to move only through the routes specified by the police, and under no circumstances would more than 500 participants in one procession be allowed. The participants have been barred from carrying lethal and sharp weapons while participating in the procession.

There will also be drone surveillance and CCTV surveillance on the processions. Police teams will be both in front and behind each procession. There will be plain-clothed police also to keep watch to identify potential troublemakers.

–IANS

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