Kolkata Police has deployed armed personnel at 15 major Durga Puja mandaps to protect valuable jewellery worn by Durga idols, with two-shift duty rosters and expanded CCTV monitoring in place across the city.
The security arrangement will remain active for as long as the jewellery stays on the idols, according to the report. Police are also monitoring visitor movement to ensure that devotees and outsiders do not approach the idols too closely.
At a large and well-known puja mandap in central Kolkata, Lalbazar has deployed two police officers and two armed personnel carrying rifles. The officer team includes a sub-inspector or sergeant and an assistant sub-inspector, both of whom will also carry service pistols.
At another mandap on SN Banerjee Road in Taltala, an SSI and two constables have been assigned security duties with rifles. At the remaining 13 mandaps, two police personnel equipped with automatic rifles have been deployed at each location.
The 15 mandaps are spread across several parts of Kolkata. Four are in the Beniapukur area, while others are located in Shyampukur, Jorabagan, Ballygunge, Kalighat, Bhawanipur, Gariahat, Panchasayar and Entally, among other areas.
The two-shift deployment is intended to ensure that there is no lapse in the protection of the jewellery. The arrangement also creates a continuous police presence at locations where large numbers of visitors gather during the festival.
Puja organisers have supplemented the police deployment with private security guards, while some mandaps have also appointed armed private personnel. CCTV cameras have been installed at all 15 locations, and organisers are monitoring the feeds through dedicated surveillance systems, the report said.
The arrangement illustrates the layered security model used at high-footfall public venues during major city festivals: police personnel provide the official security presence, organisers add private guards and surveillance, and access around the idol is controlled to reduce the risk of theft or unauthorised proximity.
According to the report, Kolkata Police’s current deployment will continue until the idols’ jewellery is removed. No further changes to the security plan were specified.
