Ahmedabad Police have announced a detailed action plan to ensure a safe and peaceful Navratri, with a focus on women’s safety, crowd management, and traffic control. All garba events have been instructed to conclude by 12 midnight.
Women’s Safety Initiatives
49 all-women ‘She Teams’ have been trained over the past two months and will be deployed at key locations including SG Highway, Sindhu Bhavan Road, Sabarmati Riverfront, and areas with limited CCTV coverage.
Pre-festival sensitisation covered 28 garba classes and trained around 3,000 women in self-defence.
4,800 girl students from 39 schools and colleges also received similar training.
Teams will attend garba venues in civil or traditional attire, acting as anti-harassment squads.
Permissions and Crowd Management
Police received 84 garba applications; 29 have been approved, with the remainder processed before the festival.
Heavy deployment includes 15 DCPs, 30 ACPs, 160 PIs, 5,000 police personnel, 4,000 Home Guards, three SRP companies, and a Special Action Force on standby.
Traffic Enforcement
Since early September, authorities have cracked down on tinted vehicles (3,601 seized) and modified number plates (7,300 detained).
During Navratri, strict action will be taken against vehicles with black films, stunt bikers, and street racers.
Overall Measures
Police Commissioner Reema Munshi emphasised that from large commercial garbas to neighbourhood celebrations, teams will ensure citizens, especially women, can participate safely. Authorities have urged organisers and revellers to cooperate for a smooth and secure nine-day festival.