Pune’s Dahi Handi celebrations were held with tighter controls on sound systems this year, although police reported violations at some locations and registered a case against office-bearers of a Bibvewadi-based mandal for exceeding the permitted equipment limit.
Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar had instructed festival mandals to use sound amplification equipment only within specified limits. Mandals were permitted to use four bass units and four tops, while the use of plasma sound and pressure mid equipment was prohibited, according to the report. Most mandals reportedly followed the restrictions during the celebrations.
Police action was taken against Shri Krishna Tarun Mandal in the Otā area of Bibvewadi after the organisers allegedly used eight bass units and tops instead of the permitted equipment. A case was registered against the mandal’s president and office-bearers at Bibvewadi police station. Police employee Pratik Karanje filed the complaint.
Bibvewadi police station senior inspector Ashwini Satpute confirmed the action, saying a case had been registered against the mandal’s president for causing noise pollution in a public place. The report did not specify the legal sections applied in the case.
The restrictions were enforced as Dahi Handi events drew crowds across central Pune and the suburbs. In the central areas, traffic on Chhatrapati Shivaji Road, Bajirao Road, Laxmi Road, Kumthekar Road and Tilak Road was diverted to alternative routes after Saturday evening. Crowds gathered around Mandai, Tulshibaug, Shanipar, Kumthekar Road, Pangul Ali in Ganesh Peth, Jain Mandir Chowk in Guruwar Peth, Govind Halwai Chowk, Somwar Peth, Gokhalenagar, Deep Bungalow Chowk, Karve Road and Deccan Gymkhana.
Several dhol-tasha groups also performed in stationary formations during the afternoon. In suburban areas, many mandals had closed roads after Friday evening to test sound amplification equipment and install laser lights ahead of the celebrations. The road closures had raised concerns among residents that the festival would again lead to high noise levels.
The report said noise levels appeared to remain more controlled than usual despite isolated violations. Public concern over noise pollution and police attention to compliance were cited as factors behind the reduced use of sound equipment. Laser beams, however, were used extensively at several locations in central Pune.
The police restrictions formed part of the wider management of a festival that combined large public gatherings, temporary road closures, sound equipment and crowd movement across several neighbourhoods. The reported Bibvewadi case indicates that enforcement extended beyond advisories to action against organisers who exceeded the permitted equipment limit. Further details on the case or additional police action were not provided in the report.
