Pimpri-Chinchwad police have imposed a ban on gatherings of more than five people across the commissionerate area from 16 to 29 September, while deploying 2,727 police personnel and 550 home guards for Ganesh festival security.
The restriction has been introduced ahead of the festival and will remain in force through the immersion period, according to a report by Loksatta – Pune. Police said the arrangement is intended to maintain peace and public order during a period expected to draw large crowds to public Ganesh mandals, viewing locations and immersion processions.
The Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissionerate has 2,251 public Ganesh mandals within its jurisdiction this year. The security plan covers the festival’s opening period through immersion, with personnel to be positioned according to crowd levels and local requirements.
The deployment includes one joint commissioner of police, one additional commissioner, six deputy commissioners and nine assistant commissioners. The force also includes 64 police inspectors and 291 assistant police inspectors and sub-inspectors. A total of 2,355 police constables and other police personnel are being deployed, supported by 550 home guards.
The assembly restriction means that more than five people cannot gather during the specified period. Police are expected to apply the arrangement across locations where large numbers of devotees may assemble, including areas around public Ganesh mandals, major junctions, sensitive locations and immersion routes.
The festival security plan also includes specialised units for emergency response. One State Reserve Police Force unit, one Bomb Detection and Disposal Squad unit, four riot-control teams and 17 special striking teams have been kept ready, according to the report.
The deployment reflects the operational challenge created by the scale and spread of the festival across Pimpri-Chinchwad. Crowd movement is not limited to individual mandal premises: it also extends to roads, junctions and designated immersion routes, where police must manage gatherings and procession-related movement simultaneously.
For residents, the order establishes a temporary restriction on group gatherings during the festival period, while the police deployment is focused on crowd-heavy and sensitive locations. The commissionerate has said that it will maintain close surveillance of law and order from the beginning of the celebrations until immersion concludes.
The restriction is scheduled to remain in effect until 29 September. Police personnel and specialised teams will be deployed as required at public Ganesh mandals, major junctions, sensitive locations and immersion routes during the period.
