Ganesh immersion: Nagpur police deploy 6,250 personnel for security

Ahead of the conclusion of Ganeshotsav 2026 and the Ganesh immersion processions, Nagpur police have drawn up a large-scale security arrangement under the leadership of Police Commissioner Dr Vishwas Nangare Patil. With heavy crowds of devotees expected during the immersion processions, police, traffic, fire brigade and disaster management departments have been put on alert. Dr Patil said the arrangement gives priority to devotees' safety along with maintaining law and order.

According to the police commissioner, 1,702 public Ganesh mandals have registered in Nagpur this year. In addition, around 2 lakh 4 thousand household Ganesh idols have been installed. The number of public mandals has gone up by 140 compared to last year. Anticipating increased crowd pressure during immersion, police had already prepared a detailed security plan in advance.

Heavy crowds are expected on several major roads in the city during the immersion processions. Police have placed CA Road, Futala Road, Koradi Road, Itwari Road, Mahal, Jafar Nagar, Cotton Market, the Gandhi Nagar-Jafar Nagar area and Bhandewadi, among other locations, under special watch. Additional police personnel will be deployed in these areas to manage crowds and traffic and to keep the processions moving smoothly. Police officers have been instructed to maintain continuous patrolling and surveillance in their respective areas.

Special arrangements have been made for immersion of Ganesh idols at key locations in and around the city. According to police, immersion is expected of 361 idols at Gorewada, 42 at Police Lines Takli pond, 612 at Nanda Koradi, 62 at Kachchiwisa and 104 at Mahadev Ghat. In addition, around 512 idols are expected to be immersed in the artificial immersion tanks set up by the Nagpur Municipal Corporation. The administration has appealed to devotees to use only the designated immersion sites and to cooperate with security arrangements.

This year some Ganesh mandals have changed their usual immersion routes. Some mandals will now immerse idols at Gorewada and Police Lines Takli pond instead of Koradi pond. Police and the traffic department have made special arrangements to ensure these changed routes do not put additional pressure on traffic management.

In view of Ganesh immersion, entry of heavy vehicles into the city will be barred from 8 pm to midnight on 25 and 26 September 2026. According to police, heavy vehicle entry will mainly be controlled on three routes: Agyaramdevi Chowk to Ganesh Mandir Cutting, Model Mill Chowk to Maulana Natiq Chowk, and Tilak Putla Chowk to Ganesh Mandir Cutting. Traffic coming from several major intersections will also be diverted to alternative routes. Traffic from Model Mill Chowk will be diverted towards Ramkular and Jadhav Chowk, from Agyaramdevi Chowk towards Jadhav Chowk and Raman Science Park, and from Maulana Natiq Chowk and Tilak Putla Chowk towards Raman Science Park.

Around 70 percent of the total strength of the Nagpur Police Commissionerate has been deployed for the immersion arrangements. A total of 6,250 police officers and personnel will be posted at various locations. This includes one police commissioner, one assistant police commissioner, three additional police commissioners, 11 deputy commissioners of police and 15 assistant commissioners of police. Besides this, 87 police inspectors and 374 assistant police inspectors and police sub-inspectors will be on duty. At the field level, 4,330 police constables, including 420 trainees, and 1,266 home guards will be deployed. A company of the State Reserve Police Force, four riot control squads, four quick response teams and three bomb detection and disposal squads will also remain on standby. Plainclothes police personnel will also be deployed.

A total of 2,858 CCTV cameras will be used to monitor major routes and sensitive areas during the immersion processions. These cameras will be monitored from the command and control centre. In addition, five mobile surveillance vans and drones will also be available. Drones will be used to keep watch on crowd conditions, traffic and sensitive locations. Police teams will be alerted immediately if crowds suddenly increase or conditions change in any area.

The fire brigade department has also been put on alert to deal with any emergency. Thirty-one fire vehicles will be kept ready alongside the city's 12 fire stations. Thirteen disaster management teams will also be deployed. Relevant teams have been instructed to remain ready for emergencies at water bodies and immersion sites.

Police monitoring of social media has been stepped up ahead of Ganesh immersion. According to police, 771 social media posts and videos have been examined so far. Action has been taken on 13 posts found objectionable. Police said monitoring of social media platforms will continue during the immersion as well. Action will be taken under the law against rumours, inflammatory content or posts that affect law and order.

Court and government directions on the use of loudspeakers during the immersion processions will remain in force. The police administration has made clear that the prescribed time limits for using loudspeakers must be followed. A notification related to these rules has already been issued.

Arrangements have been made to maintain proper distance between two Ganesh mandals so that several mandals gathering together do not create problems for traffic and crowd management. Police officers will keep watch on the pace of the processions and the distance between mandals.

To prevent any untoward incident during the immersion, police have stepped up preventive action against criminals and sensitive elements. According to police, 766 recorded criminals, 413 externed accused and 705 history-sheeters have been screened so far. Preventive action has been taken against 885 criminals. In addition, notices have been issued to 1,450 people, of whom 51 have been detained. During this operation, illegal weapons were recovered from 22 accused. Police have also searched for 118 absconding accused.

According to police, seven cases were registered during the 2025 Ganesh immersion. To prevent such incidents from recurring this year, preventive action and surveillance have already been stepped up. Temporary preventive action has been taken against 1,010 criminals under Section 163 of the Bharatiya Nagarik Suraksha Sanhita. The aim of the police is to prevent possible trouble and law-and-order incidents before the immersion itself.

Police Commissioner Dr Vishwas Nangare Patil has appealed to Ganesh mandals and citizens to follow the guidelines issued by the police and administration during the immersion. He advised using the designated immersion sites, cooperating with traffic arrangements and not believing any rumours. He also appealed to citizens not to forward any objectionable or misleading content on social media and to immediately inform police of any suspicious activity or emergency.

For emergencies, the cyber police station number 0712-2584377, the police control room number 0712-2561222 and the emergency helpline number 112 have been issued. The police administration's message is clear: celebrate Ganesh immersion with devotion and enthusiasm, but fully comply with security measures, traffic rules and law-and-order requirements.