Security has been stepped up at Chittaranjan Park in South Delhi, with nearly 1,000 personnel deployed and vehicles barred from entering the area after 19 people were killed in a stampede during Durga Puja celebrations in Kolkata.
More than 500 Delhi Police personnel and three companies of Central Armed Police Forces are currently deployed across CR Park, officers told The Indian Express. One additional CAPF company is on standby if required. Each company has approximately 80 to 100 personnel.
Additional Deputy Commissioner of Police (South) Aishwarya said vehicles were being kept out of the area to preserve space for public movement in case of an emergency. “We have made sure that no unnecessary vehicles are inside the area, so that there is ample space for public movement in face of any untoward incident,” the officer said.
CR Park hosts some of Delhi’s most prominent Durga Puja pandals, including those in Mela Block, K Block and B Block. The area attracts large crowds during the festival, while traffic congestion begins from Greater Kailash. Police officers said that even a one-kilometre stretch can take more than 20 minutes to cross during peak periods.
The largest pandals receive more than 50,000 visitors a day, according to the report. An inspector-rank officer has been assigned separately to manage security at each of the biggest venues. The arrangements are intended to keep pedestrian movement clear while managing the movement of visitors around the pandals.
The Kali Mandir pandal in B Block has also expanded its own security arrangements. Dr Shirshendu Mukherjee, secretary of the Kali Mandir society, said the venue has 150 to 160 private security personnel who underwent six weeks of training before the festival. A retired army colonel is serving as the security chief.
The pandal is divided into five blocks, with two regular exit gates and five emergency exits. Each block has a supervisor, while CCTV cameras are connected to a central command system. The venue also has a separate space for Delhi Police personnel, fire clearances and four private fire marshals, in addition to its private security team.
Visitor numbers at the Kali Mandir pandal range from 5,000 to 7,000 during the day and exceed 50,000 at night, Mukherjee said. The heightened arrangements follow the stampede in Kolkata’s Chorbagan area, where 19 people were killed during Durga Puja celebrations. Delhi Police and the CR Park organisers are continuing to monitor crowd movement and security requirements as the festival proceeds.
