Pune Ganesh Visarjan 2026: Over 10,000 Cops Deployed; Safety Prioritised Over Procession Speed, Says CP Amitesh Kumar

Reported by Mubarak Ansari
Pune, 24th September 2026: Pune City Police have rolled out an extensive security grid deploying over 10,000 personnel across the city for Friday’s grand Ganesh Visarjan procession, with more than 5,000 personnel stationed exclusively along the core immersion routes in central Pune.

Addressing a journalists on Thursday following an extensive route march and security review, Pune Police Commissioner Amitesh Kumar stated that foolproof crowd control and women’s safety take precedence over the overall speed of the immersion procession.

“Whether the procession takes an hour more or two hours less is not our priority,” Commissioner Amitesh Kumar said. “Our topmost priority is crowd management, the safety of all devotees—particularly the safety of women—ensuring no clashes or law-and-order situations arise, and making sure that neither the mandals nor the devotees face any hardship.”

Deployment at 6 AM; Procession Kick-Off at 10:15 AM

The Commissioner announced that ground deployment across all sectors will take effect at 6:00 AM on Friday.

Detailing the traditional morning schedule, Kumar said:

9:00 AM: The Manacha Pahila (first revered) Kasba Ganpati will arrive at the Lokmanya Tilak statue for the customary aarti and floral tributes.

9:30 AM: The procession will move from the Tilak statue toward Belbaug Chowk.

10:15 AM: The formal immersion procession will commence from Belbaug Chowk, marking the official opening of the central immersion route.

“Extensive coordination meetings have been conducted with the office-bearers of all Ganesh mandals, and a final rehearsal and route march were held today to ensure area domination and complete ground acclimatisation for our officers,” Kumar said.

Four Core Routes Under Heavy Guard

Of the 10,000-strong contingent—comprising Pune police officers, local personnel, Home Guards, State Reserve Police Force (SRPF) companies, and specialized emergency response units—between 5,000 and 5,500 personnel will be concentrated across the four traditional procession lifelines: Laxmi Road, Tilak Road, Kelkar Road, and Kumthekar Road, culminating around the Alka Talkies junction.

Advanced surveillance systems, including extensive CCTV networks, police monitoring towers, and round-the-clock aerial monitoring, have been activated to watch over the crowds.

Strict Ban on Private Drones; 10–15 Minute Cap on Dhol-Tasha

Clarifying regulations surrounding aerial photography, Kumar warned that unauthorized private drone operations are strictly prohibited along the procession corridors.

“General permission has not been granted for private drones,” the Police Commissioner clarified. “Only police surveillance drones will be operational. If any mandal makes a specific request for a brief 5- to 15-minute window while their idol passes through a specific stretch, it will be evaluated strictly on a case-by-case basis. Otherwise, private drone flying remains entirely disallowed.”

On the performance duration of musical troupes (dhol-tasha pathaks), which often causes procession bottlenecks, Kumar highlighted that a mutual understanding had been established with mandal organisers:

“Through constructive dialogue with mandals, an understanding has been reached that dhol-tasha pathaks will not perform for more than 10 to 15 minutes at any single junction, facilitating steady, uninterrupted forward movement.”

Regarding music restrictions and the midnight loudspeaker cut-off, Kumar noted that police will manage situations through mutual dialogue, goodwill, and understanding rather than coercive measures, taking into account the cultural sentiment of mandals while protecting public order.

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Traffic Diversions, 26 Parking Hubs, and Metro Advisory

To handle the massive influx of devotees, police have introduced widespread traffic diversions and designated 26 dedicated parking locations across the city perimeter.

“Detailed traffic advisories have been published across our social media platforms,” Kumar advised. “Citizens travelling toward Alka Talkies or Laxmi Road are urged to review these advisories in advance, park only at designated facilities, and make maximum use of the Pune Metro, which offers smooth and reliable connectivity into the city centre.”

Pune Ganpati Visarjan 2026: Traffic Police List 26 Parking Sites for September 25 Procession