The district administration has imposed Section 36 of the Maharashtra Police Act, 1951, at Perne village on account of Datta Jayanti and 203rd anniversary celebrations of the battle of Bhima-Koregaon from December 29 till January 1, 2021, under which strict restrictions will be imposed on visitors and planned functions.
The rural police had moved a proposal seeking restrictions on crowds and other safety measures before the collector after which it received an approval.
“All police officials are directed to take strict measures as directed due to the prevalence of Covid-19,” the order stated.
According to the district collector’s order, strict directions have been issued for visitors to the area and at the same time, the protocols have been put in place for playing music and other traditional instruments so that the general public is not disturbed.
The directive stipulates that the all police officials strictly follow the directions of the police superintendent in the wake of events and programmes being held during the Covid-19 crisis and maintain how best the law enforcement agencies can to preserve the law and order situation in the area.
The directions state that police officials must take care to ensure smooth conduct of the event and ensure safety guidelines are maintained.
{{/usCountry}}The directions state that police officials must take care to ensure smooth conduct of the event and ensure safety guidelines are maintained.
{{/usCountry}}Even the state home department has urged for low key celebrations at the event, similar to what was seen on Christmas, Eid and Diwali. Thousands of people had gathered for the 202nd anniversary of the Bhima-Koregaon battle last year.
On the day, obeisance is paid at the historic Bhima Koregaon victory obelisk popularly known as “Jaystambh” located at Perne village, 40 kilometres from Pune, where 500 Mahar soldiers of the British East India defeated the army of Peshwa on January 1, 1818.
The commemoration celebrations begin around midnight on December 31 and continue throughout the day until late night the next day.
According to Pune district collector Rajesh Deshmukh, tight security arrangements have been made at the venue and a request has been made for low key celebrations as directed by the state health department due to the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.
“We have appealed for lesser crowds and stressed for online attendance of the programme due to Covid-19 pandemic,” Deshmukh said.