Kolkata Police arrested 334 people on Panchami for alleged violations including triple riding, riding without helmets, dangerous driving and drunk driving, as the city intensified security arrangements for Durga Puja. Police said crowd levels are expected to increase further from Shashthi, prompting continued monitoring across the city’s roads and puja venues.
According to information attributed to Kolkata Police sources, 35 people were arrested for travelling three-up on motorcycles, in violation of the rule allowing no more than two riders on a bike. Another 92 people were arrested for allegedly riding without helmets.
Police also arrested 65 people for allegedly driving dangerously or recklessly and 61 people on allegations of driving under the influence of alcohol. A further 81 arrests were made under other charges. The total for Panchami was reported as 334, or nearly 350 people.
The enforcement came as visitor numbers at puja pandals increased. Crowds had already begun gathering from Chaturthi, while police said the pressure on roads and public spaces would rise from Shashthi. Kolkata Police has said that there will be no gap in security and surveillance during the festival period.
The city has 2,981 pujas this year, more than 400 higher than the previous count cited in the report. Police arrangements have been made across every division, with smaller pandals expected to have dedicated personnel. Depending on the location, these deployments will operate under a sergeant or an assistant sub-inspector, with between four and eight police personnel assigned to individual sites.
The wider deployment includes two phases of 20 Heavy Radio Flying Squads, 10 Special Radio Flying Squads and 30 police control room mobile vans. These patrol vehicles will remain in contact with the traffic police while moving through the city. In the event of incidents such as a fire, police vehicles will escort fire engines to the affected location, according to the report.
Kolkata Police is also monitoring the city’s riverfront during the festival. Three police launches will patrol 15 ghats. The arrangements are intended to extend surveillance beyond roads and pandals to areas where large numbers of visitors may gather.
Women’s safety is another focus of the police deployment. Officers are conducting special monitoring to prevent harassment in crowded areas, the report said. The measures cover both crowd surveillance and enforcement against road-safety violations as the city moves through the busiest phase of the festival.
The Panchami arrests provide an early indication of the enforcement pressure being applied before the larger crowds expected from Shashthi. Kolkata Police’s stated next steps are continued surveillance, traffic coordination, patrol deployment and monitoring of the city’s puja venues and ghats through the festival period.
