People across country revel in Diwali; Delhi defies firecracker ban
New Delhi (PTI): Colourful lights decked up buildings and diyas (earthen lamps) dotted houses as people across the country celebrated Diwali with great enthusiasm on Thursday.
In the national capital, Delhiites defied the firecracker ban as the city's air quality remained in the 'very poor' category with an AQI of 327 at 9 pm.
Keeping up his tradition of celebrating the festival with soldiers, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited Sir Creek near the Indo-Pak border in Gujarat's Kutch district and offered sweets to jawans.
Modi said India cannot compromise on even an "inch" of land on its borders, adding the people believe in the strength of its armed forces for defending the country.
"In the past, attempts were made to turn this region into a battlefield. The enemy has set its eyes on this region for a long time. But we are not worried as you are guarding the nation. Our enemy also knows it well," he asserted.
"People of India feel their country is safe because of you; when the world sees you, it sees India's strength, when enemies see you, they see the end of their sinister plans," the prime minister said, addressing personnel of the Border Security Force, Army, Navy and Air Force.
Modi also called on President Droupadi Murmu and Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar separately and greeted them on Diwali.
One of the most popular Hindu festivals, Diwali is associated with the day Lord Ram is believed to have returned to Ayodhya with his wife Sita and brother Lakshman after defeating demon king Ravana during his 14 years in exile. The festival is seen as a celebration of the victory of good over evil.
Dressed in traditional attire, people greeted each other, exchanged sweets and gifts, and visited temples.
Meanwhile, troops of India and China exchanged sweets at several border points along the Line of Actual Control (LAC), including at locations in eastern Ladakh, on the occasion of Diwali.
The exchange took place at all the five Border Personnel Meeting (BPM) points along the LAC -- Bum La and Wacha/Kibithu in Arunachal Pradesh, Chushul-Moldo and Daulat Beg Oldi in Ladakh and Nathu La in Sikkim -- among several other locations, sources said.
The celebrations across the country were largely incident free. However, in Uttar Pradesh, six people, including four of a family, were killed when a tempo they were travelling in was hit by a tractor in the Mujaria area of Budaun, police said. The victims, who worked as vegetable vendors in Noida, were returning home to celebrate Diwali.
In Andhra Pradesh, a man died after the firecrackers he was carrying on a two-wheeler exploded in Eluru town, police said.
In UP, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath celebrated Diwali with the forest dwellers of Vantangiya village in Gorakhpur.
He said people dividing society along caste, regional, and linguistic lines have the "DNA of Ravan and Duryodhan", and warned that anyone who attempts to disrupt peace or get involved in crime against women would be dealt with strictly.
During his visit to the area, the chief minister inaugurated 74 development projects valued at Rs 185 crore across various gram panchayats.
In the national capital, the sky lit up as people celebrated Diwali defying a ban on firecrackers.
Areas including Lajpat Nagar, Kalkaji, Chhatarpur, Jaunapur, East of Kailash, Saket, Rohini, Dwarka, Punjabi Bagh, Vikas Puri, Dilshad Garden, Burari and many other neighbourhoods of east and west Delhi saw firecrackers being burst.
With the 24-hour AQI recorded at 328 at 4 pm, the city experienced its worst air quality on Diwali in the last three years.
In West Bengal, Kali Puja and Diwali were celebrated with gaiety and fervour, with decorated pandals creating a festive spirit across the state.
With only green fireworks allowed by the administration as per the earlier orders of a court, police and state pollution control board officials kept vigil to prevent flouting of the rule.
Long queues were seen at the famed Tarapith, Dakshineswar, Kalighat, Thanthania, and other Kali temples across the state.
In Uttarakhand, Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami visited the Lansdowne cantonment to celebrate Diwali with army soldiers, saying he felt "fortunate" to be with them on the auspicious occasion.
Paying tribute to the martyrs by offering a wreath at the war memorial there, Dhami said, "We can light diyas at our homes on Diwali only because our brave soldiers live away from their families to protect the country's borders."
Dhami also distributed sweets and gifts among the soldiers, widows of martyrs and their children.
In Rajasthan, the festival of light was celebrated with great enthusiasm. Markets were vibrant and bustling until late Wednesday night with people flocking to buy new clothes, sweets, firecrackers and other festive items.
CM Bhajanlal Sharma and other leaders extended Diwali greetings on X.
Meanwhile, more than 20 lakh devotees gathered at Chitrakoot on the border of Madhya Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh on the occasion of Diwali, an official said.
According to mythology, Lord Ram spent the better part of his 14-year exile at Chitrakoot, located on the banks of the Mandakini river.
Devotees took a dip in the river and performed `deep-daan' ceremony.
In Odisha, Chief Minister Mohan Charan Majhi wished people on the occasion of Diwali and emphasised his government's commitment to take the state to new heights.
"My heartiest congratulations to all the brothers and sisters of Odisha on the occasion of Diwali, the festival of light and joy," Majhi said in a video message on his X handle.
In the coastal state of Goa, the celebrations took off after the burning of Narakasur demon effigies in the early hours.
As per traditions, the effigies were taken around before they were burnt to mark the victory of good over evil.
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Strict security measures in place in Mumbai for Messi's events at 2 venues Dec 14, say police
Mumbai (PTI): In view of Argentine superstar footballer Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai on Sunday, the city police are implementing stringent security measures, like not allowing water bottles, metals, coins inside the stadiums and setting up watchtowers to keep an eye on the crowd, officials said.
The police also said taking extra care to avoid any stampede-like situation and to prevent recurrence of the chaotic situation that unfolded in Kolkata during Messi's visit on Saturday as thousands of fans protested inside the Salt Lake stadium here after failing to catch a clear glimpse of the football icon despite paying hefty sums for tickets.
Messi is expected to be present at the Cricket Club of India (Brabourne Stadium) in Mumbai on Sunday for a Padel GOAT Cup event followed by attending a celebrity football match. He is expected to proceed to the Wankhede Stadium for the GOAT India Tour main event around 5 pm.
"In view of Lionel Messi's visit to Mumbai, the police are geared up and have put in place a high level of security arrangements in and around the stadiums located in south Mumbai. Considering the chaos that prevailed in Kolkata and the security breach, we have deployed World Cup-level security arrangements at Brabourne and Wankhede stadiums," an official said.
Expecting heavy crowd near the stadiums during Messi's visit, the city police force has deployed more than 2,000 of its personnel near and around both the venues, he said.
As the Mumbai police have the experience of security 'bandobast' during the victory parade of ICC World Cup-winning Indian team and World Cup final match at the Wankhede Stadium, in which over one lakh cricket fans had gathered, we are prepared to handle a large crowd of fans, he said.
"We are trying to avoid the errors that occurred in the past," the official said.
There is no place to sneak inside the stadiums in Mumbai like the Kolkata stadium, according to him.
The police are also asking the organisers to provide all the required facilities to the fans inside the stadium, so that there will be no chaos, he said, adding the spectators have purchased tickets in the range of Rs 5,000 to 25,000. After paying so much of amount, any spectator expects proper services, while enjoying the event, he said.
The police are expecting 33,000 spectators at the Wankhede Stadium and over 4,000 at Brabourne Stadium. Besides this, more than 30,000 people are expected outside and around the stadiums just to have a glimpse of the football sensation, he said.
The organisers responsible for Messi's India visit recently came to Mumbai to discuss security arrangements. During the meeting, the Mumbai police asked them not to take the event lightly, according to the official.
After those requirements were fulfilled, the final security deployment was chalked out, he said.
Police has the standard procedure of the security arrangements inside the Wankhede Stadium, where people are barred from taking water bottles, metals objects, coins. Police are setting up watch towers near the stadiums and there will be traffic diversions, so that there is maximum space available to stand, according to the official.
Police are also appealing to the spectators to use public transport service for commuting and avoid personal vehicles to reach south Mumbai.
To avoid any stampede-like situation, police are also taking precautionary measures and will stop the fans some distance ahead of the stadium and public announcement systems will be used to guide the crowd. Barricades will be placed at various places to manage the crowd.
In case the crowd swells up beyond expectation, the police will divert people to other grounds and preparations in this regard underway, he said.
Additional police force has been deployed in south Mumbai to tackle any kind of situation, he said.
