Bullet march flagged off ahead of 148th Jagannath Rathyatra in Ahmedabad

As part of preparations for the upcoming 148th annual rathyatra of Lord Jagannath, the Ahmedabad Police on Monday night conducted a bullet march along the designated procession route to enhance visibility and reinforce security.

The march, which commenced at 10.30 pm on June 9, was organised by police stations falling under Zone 3. Around 100 police personnel on bullet motorcycles patrolled key stretches of the rathyatra route, demonstrating readiness to maintain law and order during the highly attended religious procession.

The event was formally flagged off from the Jagannath Temple in Jamalpur, the traditional starting point of the yatra. The ceremony was inaugurated by Mahamandaleshwar Dilipdasji Maharaj, a prominent priest associated with the temple. Temple trustees and senior police officials were also present at the launch.

According to senior officers, the bullet march serves a dual purpose — to instil public confidence and to familiarise personnel with sensitive zones along the yatra path. “Such pre-event deployments are critical for smooth execution on the day of the procession,” said an officer of Zone 3.

The 148th edition of the rathyatra is expected to witness lakhs of devotees, prompting the Ahmedabad Police to adopt a layered security strategy, including AI-based surveillance, traffic diversions, drone monitoring, and anti-sabotage checks.

Further drills and coordination meetings with civic agencies and temple management are scheduled in the coming days to ensure a peaceful and incident-free event.