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Punjab: 3-day Shaheedi Sabha commences at Fatehgarh Sahib
The Shaheedi Sabha formally began with the commencement of Sri Akhand Path Sahib at the historic Gurdwara Sri Jyoti Saroop Sahib here, the hallowed site associated with the cremation of the younger Sahibzadas and Mata Gujri, with the recitation of the holy Gurbani.
Punjab director general of police (DGP) Gaurav Yadav on Thursday reviewed security and traffic management plan to ensure smooth, secure and orderly conduct of the Shaheedi Sabha — the three-day annual religious congregation that commenced at Gurdwara Sri Fatehgarh Sahib on Thursday. The event is organised from December 25 to 27 to commemorate the supreme sacrifice of Guru Gobind Singh’s two younger Sahibzadas (sons) — Baba Zorawar Singh and Baba Fateh Singh — and their grandmother Mata Gujri.
Yadav, who was accompanied by deputy inspector general (DIG), Ropar range, Nanak Singh and Fatehgarh Sahib senior superintendent of police (SSP) Shubham Aggarwal, also paid obeisance at the holy site.
The entire area has been systematically divided into six sectors and a force of more than 3,400 police personnel, under the supervision of six superintendent rank officers and 24 deputy SP rank officers, have been deployed to ensure foolproof security throughout the event, the DGP informed.
“Police personnel have been instructed to adopt a courteous and people-friendly approach while remaining vigilant and committed to duty,” he said.
Regarding the measures taken, Yadav said no vehicle zone has been earmarked in the 200 meters radius of Gurdwara Sahib and 22 parking locations have been designated, with e-rickshaw, auto and shuttle bus services arranged to ferry devotees from parking areas to the gurdwara.
To facilitate seamless traffic management, the police have also collaborated with Google for real-time geo-tagging of parking locations, while directional signboards have been installed at strategic points, he added.
For effective monitoring and surveillance, six drones and around 300 hi-tech CCTV cameras have been deployed to oversee crowd movement, traffic flow and parking areas, besides maintaining a strict vigil on anti-social elements.
The DGP said that six integrated help desks, providing police assistance, medical aid and fire services, have been set up for the convenience of devotees. Additionally, an integrated control room, public assistance kiosks, special contingency response teams, and 24x7 surveillance through social media monitoring, special branch and intelligence inputs have been activated to prevent any untoward incident, he informed.
The Shaheedi Sabha formally began with the commencement of Sri Akhand Path Sahib at the historic Gurdwara Sri Jyoti Saroop Sahib here, the hallowed site associated with the cremation of the younger Sahibzadas and Mata Gujri, with the recitation of the holy Gurbani.
On the first day, a large number of devotees from across the world turned up.
After paying obeisance at Gurdwara Sri Jyoti Saroop Sahib, deputy commissioner Sona Thind appealed to the devotees to also focus on cleanliness.
