Cuttack: A total of 72 platoons of police force will be deployed in and around the Shree Jagannath Temple in Puri to maintain law and order during the upcoming Devasnana Purnima festival on June 29.

The decision was taken during a high-level review meeting chaired by Director General of Police (DGP) Yogesh Bahadur Khurania.

The deployment will include six SPs/Commandants, 17 Additional SPs, 42 DSPs, and 94 Inspectors. In addition, 352 Sub-Inspectors/Assistant Sub-Inspectors, 53 Havildars, and 428 constables will be stationed at key locations.

The meeting also discussed the installation of advanced CCTV surveillance systems inside the temple premises, surrounding areas, and across barricades to strengthen security.

Special teams will remain on standby to respond to emergencies. To prevent incidents such as pickpocketing and chain snatching, dedicated anti-snatching squads will be deployed. A striking force will also be kept ready to handle any unforeseen situations.

To ensure smooth and orderly darshan for devotees, special barricading arrangements will be made at the Snana Mandap.

Official sources said the DGP stressed the need for close coordination among senior officers and personnel at the grassroots level to ensure the smooth and incident-free conduct of the festival.

Senior officials present at the meeting included Additional DGP (Modernisation) Soumendra Kumar Priyadarshi, Intelligence Director R.P. Koche, Additional DGP (Railways and Coastal Security) Arun Bothra, Additional DGP (Law and Order) Sanjay Kumar, Transport Commissioner Amitabh Thakur, Bhubaneswar-Cuttack Police Commissioner S. Dev Datta Singh, DIG (Eastern Range) Pinak Mishra, Puri SP Prateek Singh, and other officers.