Mumbai Police has stepped up security arrangements for Ganeshotsav 2025 with elaborate measures to ensure the ten-day festival passes off peacefully. Like every year, the city police have gone on maximum alert, but this year’s arrangements are said to be even more stringent, given the huge footfall expected across public pandals.
Joint Commissioner of Police Satyanarayan Chaudhary said that over 18,000 police personnel will be deployed across the city during the celebrations. Apart from this, 450 mobile vans and 350 beat marshals will continuously patrol the city.
According to Mumbai Police, this year the security arrangements for Ganeshotsav will be handled on a large scale. A total of seven additional police commissioners, 36 deputy commissioners of police (DCPs), 51 assistant commissioners of police (ACPs), 2,600 police officers, and around 15,000 policemen will be deployed across Mumbai to ensure safety and smooth management during the festival.
More than 11,000 public Ganesh mandals and other crowded areas will be under round-the-clock surveillance through drones and CCTV cameras. The police will also be supported by specialised units such as the State Reserve Police Force, the Quick Response Team and the Rapid Action Force to ensure law and order. Riot control police and home guards will be additionally pressed into service, while special arrangements have been made to ensure women’s safety during the festivities.
For the Lalbaugcha Raja pandal, which attracts millions of devotees every year, extraordinary precautions have been taken. Over 600 police personnel, including women officers, dog squads, bomb disposal teams, the Anti-Terrorism Squad and Crime Branch officials will be deployed in the area. To manage the heavy traffic in the locality, another 600 personnel will be stationed. Around half a dozen drones will keep constant watch over the area, and supervision will be handled by three to four DCP-level officers.
This year, Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti and Joint Commissioner Satyanarayan Chaudhary have chaired several rounds of meetings to review the security plan. Officials confirmed that the city-wide drone ban between August 6 and September 4 is being strictly enforced. Recently, two men were arrested for illegally flying drones near a pandal in Chinchpokli, highlighting the police’s zero-tolerance approach to violations.
Apart from security bandobast, civic arrangements too have been closely integrated with police planning. Mandals have been directed to install CCTV cameras, appoint volunteers for crowd management and follow fixed immersion routes. With tidal alerts predicting possible sea-level rise of up to 4.5 metres on certain days, police and BMC officials are jointly working on contingency measures at immersion points such as Girgaum Chowpatty and Juhu.
With heightened vigilance, advanced surveillance, and coordinated deployment of forces, Mumbai Police has assured citizens that every measure has been taken to ensure a safe, secure and joyous Ganeshotsav this year.