Mangaluru, Oct 19: The 'Shobha Yatra' (procession) marking the culmination of this year's Mangaluru Dasara celebrations began from the Kudroli Gokarnanatheshwara temple here Friday evening.

The grand procession, in which thousands of devotees are taking part, began at the temple complex and will conclude at the same venue with the immersion of the idols at the Pushkarini pond in the temple premises early Saturday.

Idols of Navadurga, goddess Sharada Devi and Lord Ganesha are being carried in the procession by the crowd in a festive mood.

The procession began with rituals held at the temple in the presence of veteran Congress leader and organiser of the event B Janardhana Poojary and other office-bearers of the temple.

Over 70 tableaux, music bands, decorative umbrellas and performance of folk artiste groups from across the state are the main attractions of the procession.

The city had been illuminated with colourful lamps for the past nine days as part of the celebrations.

Chief Minister H.D. Kumaraswamy had visited the Kudroli temple on October 14 to formally inaugurate the celebrations.

The duration of the procession through the main streets of the city has been brought down to 12 hours this year instead of 16 hours.

Police have made elaborate security arrangements in the city to check any untoward incident during the procession.

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Lucknow (PTI): The Uttar Pradesh government will make protesters involved in the Sambhal violence pay for damage to public property while posters of "stone pelters" will be displayed at public places, an official said on Wednesday.

Four people died and scores, including police personnel, were injured in Sambhal on Sunday after a confrontation erupted over a court-ordered survey of the city's Shahi Jama Masjid in Kot Garvi area, following a petition claiming that a Harihar temple once stood at the site.

"The UP government is adopting a firm stance against the individuals involved in the Sambhal violence. Posters of the stone pelters and miscreants will be displayed publicly, and recovery of damages will be sought. A reward may also be announced for information leading to their arrest," an official spokesperson said.

In a similar initiative, the government had previously put up posters of individuals linked to vandalism during the anti-CAA protests in 2020. These posters were displayed across several locations, including the state capital, but were later removed following a court order.

The violence in Sambhal erupted on Sunday when a large crowd gathered near a mosque and began chanting slogans as a survey team resumed its work. The situation escalated when the protesters clashed with security personnel, set vehicles on fire, and pelted stones.

So far, police have arrested 25 individuals and registered seven FIRs, which include charges against Zia-ur-Rehman Barq, the Samajwadi Party MP from Sambhal, Sohail Iqbal, son of the party's local MLA Iqbal Mehmood, and over 2,750 unidentified suspects.

A magisterial probe is underway, and Superintendent of Police Krishna Kumar Vishnoi stated on Monday that the situation was now under control. He assured that "strict action will be taken against those responsible for the unrest."