Kalyan police have registered a case against the president of a public Ganesh festival committee and a DJ operator after a sound measurement during an immersion procession recorded 101.6 decibels, above the limit imposed for public celebrations. The action was taken in the jurisdiction of the Bazar Peth police station after officers said the organisers continued playing the DJ despite instructions to stop.
The case concerns the Jai Maharashtra Krida Mandal procession near Ahilyabai Chowk and Gandhi Chowk in Kalyan. Police identified the committee president as Pranay Naidu and the DJ operator as Vinay Malbari. The complaint was filed under provisions of the Maharashtra Police Act and the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.
According to the complaint cited by Loksatta, a prohibition order had been issued by the Deputy Commissioner of Police from the Thane Special Branch to maintain peace, law and order during the festival period. The order prohibited the use of loud Dolby systems, DJ equipment and other instruments causing noise pollution in public places.
A police team from Bazar Peth station was monitoring sound levels during the Ganesh immersion procession. Assistant Police Inspector Prashant Andhale and constables Ramakant Patil and Vishal Chaudhary were among the officers conducting the checks, according to the complaint.
The team reached Gandhi Chowk after hearing loud music from the procession. Police said a DJ system had been installed on a tractor belonging to the Jai Maharashtra Krida Mandal. The sound-level measuring device recorded 101.6 decibels, which officers described as excessive and disturbing people in the surrounding area.
Police then instructed the committee members and the DJ operator to stop the equipment. The complaint states that the instructions were not followed and that the DJ continued to play. The police subsequently treated the incident as a breach of the prohibition order, a disturbance of public peace and the creation of a public nuisance.
The case highlights the enforcement challenge faced by urban authorities during large public processions, when temporary sound systems operate on moving vehicles through dense neighbourhoods. In this instance, the police action was based not only on the alleged violation of a general restriction but also on an on-site sound measurement and the recorded instruction to stop.
The complaint does not state whether the equipment was seized, whether arrests were made or what further action will follow against the committee president and DJ operator. The case has been registered at Bazar Peth police station, which will handle the next steps under the cited laws.
