Hyderabad’s Ganesh immersion procession passed off peacefully after nearly 28,000 police personnel were deployed across the city, Hyderabad Police Commissioner V C Sajjanar said on Saturday, highlighting the scale of coordination required to manage large religious gatherings and crowds at key idol locations.
Sajjanar said the police had made extensive arrangements for the smooth conduct of the festival and immersion procession. Planning had been underway for three months in coordination with the Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation, HYDRAA, Telangana State Southern Power Distribution Company Limited and other government departments.
The arrangements covered the celebrations that began on September 14 and included crowd management at the Khairatabad and Balapur Ganesh idols. According to the commissioner, around 30 lakh devotees visited the Khairatabad idol, while nearly 15 lakh devotees visited the Balapur idol during the celebrations.
The Hyderabad Police Commissionerate deployed nearly 20,000 personnel for the festival. Another 8,000 personnel were brought in from other districts and different police wings, taking the overall deployment to around 28,000 personnel.
The scale of the deployment reflects the operational demands created by the festival, including the movement of large crowds, public access to prominent pandals and the management of the immersion procession. The police said coordination with civic and utility agencies was part of the preparations undertaken over the previous three months.
Sajjanar said the inclusion of Balapur in the Hyderabad Police Commissionerate helped facilitate the early commencement of the immersion procession from the pandal. The arrangement also supported the movement of devotees and the conduct of darshan at both Khairatabad and Balapur, even as the number of visitors increased each day.
The commissioner said the police ensured seamless darshan for devotees at both locations during the festival. The procession’s peaceful completion followed the deployment of personnel from the Hyderabad Commissionerate, other districts and various police units.
The event required coordination between policing, municipal administration, infrastructure and power agencies. The police commissioner’s statement identified the GHMC, HYDRAA and TGSPDCL among the departments involved in the preparations, alongside other government agencies.
With the immersion procession now completed peacefully, the official focus remains on the conclusion of festival-related arrangements and the coordinated management of the city’s remaining post-event operations.
