Ganesh immersions pass off peacefully amid tight police security

VADODARA: All roads led to the Navlakhi Compound on Thursday as thousands of devotees flocked the artificial pond for Ganesh idol immersions. Ganesh pandal organizers began immersion processions from afternoon and by evening many queued up at Navlakhi and waited for their turn.
A security blanket was thrown around the Walled City areas by an 8,000-strong police force that kept an eye on the happenings around.
The big artificial pond made by Vadodara Municipal Corporation (VMC) has capacity of immersing thousands of idols. “Due to consistent campaigns, the number of eco-friendly clay idols have gone up significantly in the city. Most of these idols are immersed in Navlakhi compound lake,” said a senior police official.
People danced to the tunes of DJ music while bidding adieu to the lord but the music system wasn’t allowed inside Navlakhi.
The Akota-Dandia Bazaar Road was closed for traffic from afternoon to avoid any chaos. While several teams of cops joined the immersion processions, over 750 CCTVs installed along the routes too recorded every moment till late in the night. A squad of 160 cops sporting shoulder lights, eight mounted police personnel and 16 cops on superbikes patrolled the route.
The communally sensitive areas too were under strict vigil and the cops had also urged the community leaders to maintain peace in their areas. The immersions continued till late in the night as Ganesh pandals installed on the outskirts of the city came in post-midnight. Senior police officials also pulled the Ganesh chariot in some sensitive areas and ensured that the devotees maintained discipline.
Many Barodians also immersed Ganesh idols in the specially prepared pools in the backyard of their homes while some drove all the way to Mahi River on the outskirts of the city.