The Hindu : Andhra Pradesh / Hyderabad News : Delayed procession leaves police jittery

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Thursday, Sep 07, 2006

Andhra Pradesh

Andhra Pradesh - Hyderabad

Delayed procession leaves police jittery

Staff Reporter

For the first time in the past five years, the procession went beyond 6.30 p.m.

AT THE RECEIVING END: Police resorting to during the Ganesh idol procession near Madina centre on Wednesday. — Photo: K. Ramesh Babu.

HYDERABAD: Despite deployment of 22,000 policemen, the Ganesh idol procession in old city got delayed, making the police jittery for a few hours on Wednesday.

The convoy of vehicles carrying the idols continued till 7.30 p.m. at Charminar, forcing the police to stop it thrice for prayers - Zohar (noon), Asar (5.45 p.m.) and Magreeb (6.45 p.m.) at Mecca mosque.

For the first time in the past five years, the procession went beyond 6.30 p.m., keeping the police on tenterhooks.

Worried over the convoys continuing even after dusk in the communally sensitive old city, the higher-ups desperately pushed the vehicles, running into arguments with some pandal organisers.

Mild tension

The attempt to rush the lorry carrying the famous Balapur Ganesh idol led to mild tension when a policeman allegedly hurled his baton injuring a person.

Accusing the police of "over action", some youngsters staged a sit-in at Charminar demanding action against the policeman.

However, the matter was sorted out after City Police Commissioner A.K. Mohanty assured them that he would look into the matter and initiate action, if any constable was found at fault.

On motorcycle

Additional Commissioner of Crimes Rajiv Trivedi, to steer clear the crowded Charminar-Madina stretch, travelled on a motorcycle a couple of times.

So tensed up were the police higher-ups that earlier in the day they took their subordinates to task when they found small quantities of debris along the procession route.

"Even a small provocation sometimes creates trouble in this area and apparently this worried our bosses," a lower-rung officer said.

Obeying orders from the top, some constables took pains to lift huge granites and shifted them in MCH vehicles.

Frequent reminders about the debris, resulted in some police officials picking arguments with MCH officials for failing to clear the route of stones.

Vandemataram issue

The repeated criticismby some speakers from the dais erected at Charminar by the Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi over opposition to singing Vandemataram further worried them.

Road accident

Meanwhile, eight people travelling on an eight-wheel lorry sustained injuries when the vehicle's brakes failed near Pattarghatti.

The seriously injured Vijayashanti, 18, was rushed to the Osmania General Hospital.

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