Police Commissioner Vinoy Kumar Choubey Reviews Security As Ashadhi Wari Begins

The annual Ashadhi Ekadashi Pandharpur Wari, one of Maharashtra’s largest and most revered religious pilgrimages, commenced on 7 July with thousands of devotees participating in the Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi procession from Dehu to Pandharpur.

To oversee the security arrangements, Pimpri-Chinchwad Police Commissioner Vinoy Kumar Choubey visited the Sant Tukaram Maharaj Samadhi in Dehu and inspected the temple premises and the Palkhi route.

Representatives of the Dehu Sansthan welcomed him with a traditional shawl and a ceremonial coconut.

This year marks the 341st Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi procession.

Despite heavy rainfall, lakhs of Warkaris and devotees gathered to take part in the annual pilgrimage.

The Pimpri-Chinchwad Police have deployed more than 8,500 security personnel to ensure the smooth and safe conduct of the event.

The deployment includes four Additional Police Commissioners, 13 Deputy Commissioners of Police (DCPs), 30 Assistant Commissioners of Police (ACPs), 182 Police Inspectors, 6,552 police constables, three platoons of the State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) and 1,250 Home Guards.

For the first time, authorities have introduced artificial intelligence (AI) and Facial Recognition System (FRS) technology as part of the security arrangements.

Police have installed 125 AI-enabled CCTV cameras along the Sant Tukaram Maharaj Palkhi route and 101 AI-enabled cameras along the Sant Dnyaneshwar Maharaj route.

Additionally, 28 facial recognition cameras have been deployed at sensitive and crowded locations to identify suspects and known offenders in real time, aiming to ensure the peaceful and secure completion of the historic pilgrimage.

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