SAMBALPUR:With barely four days to go for the Hanuman Jayanti celebration, grand preparations have been started by Hanuman Jayanti Samanwaya Samiti (HJSS). In the count-down to the annual event to be held on April 14, members of HJSS have already installed flags in different parts of the city.
The Hanuman flags were put up at Zilla School Chowk, Motijharan, Sunapali, Gengutipali and Dhankauda late on Sunday after a puja in the Hanuman Temple at Brooks Hill here.
Talking to this paper, general secretary of HJSS Sudhir Bohidar said, a bike rally will be taken out by hundreds of Samiti members on April 12.
The rally will start from Gobindtola and move across the city before culminating at Golebazar Chowk. Similarly, the main procession will begin from Zilla School Chowk after performing rituals in Hanuman Temple on April 14 evening and conclude at Peer Baba Chowk.
Bohidar said all the 32 Hanuman Jayanti Celebration Committees under HJSS will participate in the procession. At least 22 Akhada parties will display skills during the procession, said Bohidar but parried questions on display of traditional weapons.
The district administration had banned display of arms and wielding of sword during any religious function. In 2015, the district administration had banned display of arms citing that it was not allowed during Muharram and clamped prohibitory orders. Defying the order, former Sambalpur MLA Jayanarayan Mishra wielded a sword resulting in his arrest and subsequent jail for nine days. A case had been registered against Mishra for violating the prohibitory order in 2016.
Sambalpur SP Akhilesvar Singh said display of arms and weapons in public places is prohibited and it has to be strictly followed by the organisers of Hanuman Jayanti. The permission for taking out procession is given on condition that police will strictly implement the condition this year. Police will initiate action against anybody found violating the condition, he added.