Massive security at Tripura’s Mata Tripureswari Temple as thousands throng to offer prayers on Diwali

More than 2,000 men in uniform from paramilitary forces along with state police have been deployed to hold a peaceful Diwali celebration at the holy Tripureswari Temple.

Police authorities have also set up security surveillance from an elevated vantage point, allowing for a sweeping overview of the area, and have imposed restrictions on vehicle movement in the city, including for VIPs.

To facilitate the travel of the devotees besides regular and scheduled train services, the Northeast Frontier Railway has been running a pair of special passenger trains between Dharmanagar-Udaipur-Sabroom routes on the occasion of Diwali.

A stretch of at least 3 km, on both sides of the temple, on the National Highway has been declared a no-vehicle zone.

Chief Minister Dr Manik Saha along with his cabinet colleagues, former Deputy Chief Minister Jishnu Dev Varma, Union Minister of State for Social Justice and Empowerment Pratima Bhowmik, Lok Sabha member Rebati Tripura, Rajya Sabha member and former Chief Minister Biplab Kumar Deb are scheduled to inaugurate the two-day long Diwali festival at Tripureswari temple on Sunday evening.

Tripura Finance Minister and Udaipur MLA Pranajit Singharoy told the media that a large number of saints from different parts of the country have assembled in the temple to take part in special prayer, while devotees from different parts of India and Bangladesh have come to offer puja on the auspicious occasion like the previous years.

“We are expecting the gathering of more than five lakh people in the temple,” Singharoy stated.

Meanwhile, Tripura Police spokesperson Jyotishman Daschoudhury said that all major motor stands, car, auto parking areas, and crowded areas in Agartala, Udaipur, and Dharmanagar have been brought under CCTV surveillance.

The organisers of various pujas, especially, where big pandals have been set up, have been requested to install CCTV cameras in and around their pandal areas.

Police mobile, foot patrols, anti-liquor raids, surprise checks of hotels, and checking of vehicles have been intensified and action is being taken against anti-social elements, he said and urged people to limit their festivities to bursting green crackers.

A special measure has been adopted to ensure only safe and green firecrackers are allowed at AD Nagar police line, where thousands of devotees will take part in the Diwali celebration.

The city police along with civil administration and the officials of Tripura State Pollution Control Board (TSPCB) have launched a crackdown over the last three days against the storage and selling of firecrackers, which have above 90 decibels, to control noise pollution during Diwali and the ban on such crackers will remain till the end of the festival.

Meanwhile, the BSF troops on Saturday opened a two-day Diwali fair at Frontier headquarters at Salbagan to bring a happy change and break in the daily routine of the BSF Jawans guarding the Indo-Bangladesh border of Tripura.

There were ethnic food stalls, games, entertainment activities as well as cultural programs for the ‘seema praharies’, their family, children, and other invitees.

(With UNI inputs)