Hanuman Jayanti processions pass off peacefully in city

Vadodara: The city police were a relieved lot after Thursday’s Hanuman Jayanti processions passed off peacefully in the city, including the sensitive areas.
Cops were on their toes for the past three days in their efforts to ensure the procession do not stumble on any hiccups along the way while passing through the walled city areas. “The processions passed peacefully without any trouble. We had deployed heavy security along the route and drone cameras were recording all movements. The police teams did a good job,” city police commissioner Shamsher Singh told TOI.
Sources in the police department said that some right wing organizations had asked for permission to organize Hanuman Jayanti processions for the first time this year. But the police department denied them permission. The organizations and some BJP councillors got into arguments with the police department.
“But later, local BJP leaders along with the right wing organizations got orders from Gandhinagar not to interfere in police duty and let cops work for ensuring peace in the city. And, it worked. We could focus on the handful of processions,” a senior police official said.
The police were on the edge after stone pelting and rioting occurred during the Ram Navami processions last week. Three cops were injured in the rioting and several vehicles were ransacked. Following the incidents, the policemen began cracking down on the trouble mongers in the old city.
“We detained nearly 500 persons in different police stations for the past three days. They were called to the respective police stations early in the morning and let off only in the evening,” a police official said.