Dussehra: Massive Security & Fire Safety Ring Thrown Around Celebrations

As festive fervor gripped the temple district on the auspicious occasion of Vijayadashami on Tuesday, October 20, 2026, the Mathura district administration and the Uttar Pradesh Fire Service placed the entire region under a comprehensive security umbrella. With traditional Ravana Dahan ceremonies scheduled across 14 prominent grounds and open squares, civic authorities prioritized crowd control and accident-prevention protocols. The combustion of massive effigies packed with high-intensity firecrackers and combustible materials poses significant fire hazards, prompting multi-tier safety reviews across event locations. In response, joint deployment squads comprising local civil police, traffic wings, and home guard contingents were dispatched alongside emergency response units to ensure orderly celebrations and mitigate potential risks.

Strict Fire Safety Mandates: Barricades, Wind Checks, and Rapid Exit Lanes

To avert sudden fire incidents triggered by drifting embers and explosive fireworks, Chief Fire Officer (CFO) Arun Kumar issued binding operational guidelines to all Dussehra organizing committees:

• Sturdy Multi-Layer Barricading: Organizers have been directed to erect rigid physical barriers around effigies to keep spectators at a safe distance and prevent any unauthorized approach before or during the burning.

• Elimination of Combustible Perimeters: Ground perimeters must be swept clear of dry grass, trash, and flammable materials, while fireworks displays must be coordinated according to real-time wind directions to prevent stray sparks from drifting toward residential colonies or overhead power cables.

• Dedicated Fire Tender Corridors: Event grounds must maintain unobstructed ingress and egress channels, ensuring dedicated lanes remain open for fire department vehicles and medical ambulances throughout the evening.

• Emergency Evacuation Routes: Event venues must provide multiple, clearly marked emergency exits to facilitate rapid crowd dispersal in the event of an unforeseen contingency.

Comprehensive Joint Deployments: Home Guards and Police Reinforce Ground Security

Anticipating massive footfalls of families and devotees from across the Braj region, law enforcement machinery has intensified vigil across strategic locations:

• High-Density Crowd Control: Additional police personnel drawn from local jurisdictional police stations, backed by dedicated squads of Home Guards, have been positioned at entry gates, ticket counters, and barricaded perimeters.

• Pre-Event Site Audits: Fire safety inspection teams carried out mandatory pre-event checks to verify on-site fire extinguishers, water storage capacity, and sand buckets before granting final clearances.

• Continuous Emergency Readiness: Quick Response Teams (QRTs) and local beat constables remain on high alert across all participating police limits to monitor anti-social elements and regulate traffic movement along connecting arterial roads.

Key Venues Across the District: 14 Major Locations Host Effigy Burning

Dussehra effigy burning ceremonies are scheduled across both urban centers and rural tehsils throughout Mathura district:

• City Hotspots: Major urban gatherings are taking place at the historic Ramlila Maidan, Krishna Nagar, Sadar Bazaar, Aurangabad, and the open expanse near Gokul Barrage Maidan.

• Prominent Pilgrimage and Rural Corridors: Large crowds are attending effigy burning events in Vrindavan, Govardhan, Barsana city, and the Kosikalan Mandi premises.

• Tehsil and Rural Grounds: Traditional celebrations are being held at Shergarh, Ajai Mandi, the open grounds in front of Chhata Sugar Mill, Nauhjheel, Raya, Mant, and Surir, with local police outposts overseeing regional bandobast.