Security has been heightened in Puri ahead of the Bahuda Yatra, which marks the return of the deities to the Jagannath Temple on Monday.

The Yatra symbolises the end of the nine-day sojourn of Lord Jagannath and his siblings, Goddess Subhadra and Lord Balabhadra. The deities will return to Sri Mandir from Sri Gundicha temple in three different chariots pulled by devotees.

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“With the blessings of god, all our arrangements are in place. The police force, police personnel, officers, everybody has taken their position. Mangalarti is going on…All the arrangements like CCTV, force deployment, traffic clearance, crowd control, and quadrant control, are in place, we have checked it. We have done rehearsals also. So today we are not anticipating any problem…,” Odisha Additional Director General of Police (Law and Order) Sanjay Kumar said speaking to ANI on Monday.

On the deployment of security forces for the Yatra, Kumar said, “180 platoon forces have been deployed there. Armed police forces have been deployed here. Besides three companies of RAF, two companies of CRPF have been deployed…”
Meanwhile, devotees have gathered in Puri to witness and take part in the Bahuda Yatra.
Earlier on Sunday, while speaking to ANI, the ADG said that the primary concern for the police is traffic arrangements.

“All the arrangements have been made. Entrance for normal devotees has been stopped. As per the rituals, things will start at 8 in the morning. Force deployment begins at 6 a.m. Our main concern is traffic. This year, we have implemented one of the finest traffic arrangements, and everyone is appreciating it. The security arrangements have also been upgraded, and we aim to ensure that no problems occur when devotees pull the deities. The forces are in high morale, and everything is well-placed,” Kumar said while speaking to ANI on Sunday.

He further said that puja would be conducted, and afterwards, Lord Jagannath will be taken towards the temple.