The iconic Khairatabad Ganesh idol was immersed in Hyderabad’s Hussain Sagar Lake around 2.45 pm on Friday after a three-hour delay caused by a technical snag in a hydraulic crane, with thousands of devotees accompanying the procession under tight police security.
The procession reached Hussain Sagar around noon after moving through a three-kilometre stretch lined with devotees. Police personnel maintained a dedicated safety cordon around the idol and managed the crowds along the route, while chants and public participation continued throughout the procession.
The immersion marked the conclusion of the 12-day Ganesh festival. Priests performed the Kalasa Pooja at the idol’s feet before the immersion ritual, signalling the formal end of the festival for the Khairatabad installation.
The delay resulted from a technical problem with the hydraulic crane used to handle the mega-idol. The report did not specify the nature of the fault or the time required to repair or replace the equipment. The procession eventually proceeded to the lake after the delay.
Expert rescue swimmers were deployed to monitor the immersion at Hussain Sagar. Their presence formed part of the safety arrangements for an operation involving a large idol, a dense gathering of devotees and a waterbody used for the annual ritual.
The Hyderabad Police, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation and Hyderabad Metropolitan Development Authority coordinated the arrangements, according to the report. Police maintained crowd control until the idol was immersed, while the safety cordon escorted the procession along its route.
The event brought together several layers of urban administration: route and crowd management by the police, civic coordination by the GHMC and lake-area involvement from the HMDA. The report did not provide figures for the police deployment, the number of devotees present or the total number of idols immersed in Hussain Sagar.
With the Khairatabad idol now immersed, the immediate operation has concluded. The report identified the safe completion of the immersion, following the crane-related delay, as the outcome of the coordinated arrangements.
