Ahmedabad Police has deployed 14,000 police personnel and Home Guards for Navratri, with AI-based cameras, drones and counting machines planned to manage crowds and monitor security across the city. The festival is scheduled to begin on October 11, according to the security plan reported by Sandesh.
The arrangements cover 84 organised garba venues, where the approval process is under way, as well as around 1,300 traditional street garba locations. Police officials said the measures are intended to provide a secure environment for participants and manage public movement during the festival.
Around 500 senior and supervisory officers, including sector-level Joint Commissioners of Police, Deputy Commissioners of Police, Assistant Commissioners of Police, Police Inspectors and Police Sub-Inspectors, will monitor the arrangements. The city will also be watched through approximately 4,000 cameras installed at different locations.
AI-based cameras, drones and people-counting machines have been made mandatory at garba grounds for crowd control and security monitoring. The plan places particular emphasis on preventing overcrowding and allowing police teams to respond to incidents at venues and surrounding areas.
Women’s safety teams will conduct dedicated patrols during the festival. Forty-nine SHE Team vehicles, 49 Prevention of Crime Branch vehicles and around 60 other vehicles will patrol the city. The SHE Teams will include approximately 300 officers and personnel. A separate Cyber Rakshika team will monitor social media for harassment involving photographs or videos of women. Police said legal action would be taken against people who photograph or circulate such material to harass women.
Residents can contact the 181 or 112 helplines in an emergency. The police have also held meetings with organisers and venue managers, issuing instructions related to security, traffic management and checks against drugs. The Special Operations Group will use drug-testing kits, while city police teams will conduct checks with breath analysers.
Traffic management is another component of the plan. The Ahmedabad Municipal Corporation, the Roads and Buildings department and the National Highways Authority of India have reportedly completed road improvement work, and roads that had been closed, including sections of the Sardar Patel Ring Road, have been reopened. Twenty cranes will be deployed to assist with traffic management and remove vehicles that obstruct movement.
The scale of the arrangements reflects the operational challenge posed by a festival spread across formal venues and neighbourhood streets. The final implementation will depend on coordination between police teams, civic agencies, road authorities, organisers and venue managers as Navratri begins on October 11.
