Pune: This year's Ganesh immersion procession at Belbaug Chowk faced significant delays and chaos, primarily due to a combination of factors that disrupted the traditional flow of events.
Despite years of experience managing these processions, several missteps, including the absence of senior police officers, poor adherence to procedures, overcrowding, and disputes among mandal workers, contributed to the situation spiraling out of control.
Key Factors Causing the Delay:
Violation of Traditional Order: For years, the Pune police have followed a well-structured system for the immersion processions, allowing five Ganesh mandals each from Shivaji Road and Laxmi Road to proceed alternately through Belbaug Chowk.
However, this year, the police failed to adhere to the established procedure. This caused delays almost immediately as some mandals entered out of turn, creating confusion and frustration among mandal workers and further exacerbating the situation.
Absence of Senior Police Officers: The lack of senior and experienced police officials in managing the procession at Belbaug Chowk was a significant factor in the mismanagement.
Without an authoritative presence to maintain order and resolve disputes, several mandal workers clashed over their turn to proceed, causing further delays.
Increased Number of Dhol Tasha Troupes: Many mandals brought additional Dhol Tasha troupes this year, each of which demanded time and space to perform at Belbaug Chowk. The insistence of these troupes on showcasing their skills at a prime location resulted in long intervals between the mandals.
Overcrowding and Poor Crowd Management: The sheer number of people gathered for darshan, coupled with the delayed mandals, led to severe overcrowding at Belbaug Chowk.
With the increase in foot traffic and poorly implemented crowd control measures, devotees and mandal workers found themselves stuck in cramped spaces.
Disputes Among Mandal Workers: Tensions rose between mandal workers, particularly from Shivaji Road and Laxmi Road, over whose procession would move forward first.
Arguments broke out when workers from Laxmi Road accused those from Shivaji Road of cutting in line and vice versa. This back-and-forth bickering stalled the entire immersion procession, with police struggling to maintain order amidst the rising tempers.
