Security was tightened in the steel city on Friday ahead of Ramanavami processions being taken out in the evening, while an Akhara Committee has called for a Jamshedpur ‘bandh’ (shutdown) on 1 April over the seizure of a truck with a music system and trailer.
The district administration, however, said it has no information about the bandh so far. “We have called a dawn-to-dusk bandh in Jamshedpur on 1 April in protest against the seizure of the DJ (truck with music system) and trailer… Many akharas will not take out processions this evening, the Central Ramnavmi Akhara Committee and senior BJP leader Abhay Singh said.
However, many akharas were seen taking out colourful processions headed for the riverfront. “A Nagaland-registered trailer with a national permit and DJ has been seized as it cannot be used for procession in narrow lanes. We had already prohibited the use of DJ; the entire city cannot be held to ransom for some people’s interests. No one has come forward so far to claim the trailer,” Jamshedpur deputy commissioner Vijaya Jadhav stated.
Asked about the bandh call, Jadhav said the administration has no information on this so far and that the situation in the industrial city is normal. Dhalbhum sub-divisional officer Piyush Sinha said around 200 licenced akhara committees will take out Ramanavami immersion processions in the city on Friday.
The official said the deputy commissioner Jadhav and senior superintendent of police Prabhat Kumar inspected all routes of the processions, including sensitive and super-sensitive areas, and issued directions to senior officials. The district administration has set up temporary CCTV and night vision cameras in these areas to keep a vigil on mischief-makers, an official statement said.
