HYDERABAD: Asking the State government to make all arrangements for the immersion of Lord Ganesha idols on Thursday, September 28, Bhagyanagar Ganesh Utsav Samithi (BGUS) general secretary Bhagwant Rao on Tuesday asserted that no force on earth could prevent devotees from immersing the idols in the Hussainsagar.
He was speaking at a coordination meeting held with Ganesha mandap organisers, officials of the police, Greater Hyderabad Municipal Corporation (GHMC) and other departments. Hyderabad City Commissioner of Police (CP) CV Anand and Rachakonda CP DS Chauhan were also present at the meeting.
As the 10-day Ganesha festivities are set to culminate with a centralised immersion procession on Thursday, State government departments are in a fix following the Telangana High Court’s directive on Monday, which prohibits the immersion of Plaster of Paris (PoP) idols in the Hussainsagar.
During the meeting, Bhagwant Rao warned that if the State government imposes restrictions on idol immersion in the lake late at night, the BGUS will not tolerate it. In such cases, devotees and pandal organisers were urged to report the issue immediately.
He also issued a threat of protests on the Tank Bund road the following morning if immersion is not allowed in the lake. He emphasised that the immersion of idols was a fundamental right of every citizen, and no one should interfere in matters of faith.
BGUS general secretary Bhagwant Rao called for all festivals, irrespective of religion, to be celebrated grandly. Additionally, he asserted that the State government should ensure that idols are immersed in the lake and that there should be no restrictions on the immersion, highlighting that similar orders were in place last year.
He clarified that all idol immersion should adhere to the guidelines set by the Pollution Control Board, but added that there should be no restrictions on the process, placing the responsibility on the government to make necessary arrangements for immersion at Vinayaksagar.
Bhagwant Rao criticised the GHMC authorities for their failure to carry out road restoration, pot-hole filling, and tree branch pruning despite assurances made in a previous meeting attended by Minister Talasani Srinivas Yadav. He urged the police and pandal organisers to ensure that the centralised procession begins in the morning, aiming to pass by Charminar before 12 noon, reach Vinayak Chowk (MJ Market) by 2 pm, and arrive at Hussainsagar by 4 pm, considering that ‘Pithrapaksha’, a 16-day period considered inauspicious by Hindus, is just the following day.
CP Anand said that all necessary measures are being taken for a smooth idol immersion on Thursday, with around 25,000 police personnel, including 9,000 in Hyderabad city, assigned for immersion duties. He called on devotees to celebrate the festival devotionally, refraining from using DJs and engaging in disco performances. Anand pointed out instances of people consuming alcohol and dancing during the immersion, which have led to deaths.
He commended the Muslim community’s decision to postpone the Milad-un Nabi procession in light of the Ganesha idol immersion and urged the BGUS to cooperate with the police for seamless immersion. Anand expressed willingness to support an early morning idol procession as per BGUS’ request.