SURAT, July 8: A massive procession marking Id-E-Milad, the birthday of Prophet Mohammed was taken out here in Surat amidst tight security on Wednesday. The procession featured a dozen lavishly decorated floats and religious heads reciting sacred verses along with thousands of people following the floats.Beginning at 3:30 p.m. from the Zampa Bazaar area, the Id procession passed through all major routes of the old city area and wound up in the night at the Khwaja Daana Masjid at Bade Khan Chakla. At the time of going to press, police officials informed that no untoward incident had occurred and everything was under control.
No untoward incident occurred during or before the procession even as the city police had made elaborate security arrangements after fears that the procession might be disrupted. Two thousand additional forces which included ten companies of SRP, 750 Home Guards and 250 trainee cops from the Vadodara Police Training School had been stationed in the city alongside the 3,330-strong city police force which had been deployed for the bandobast.
Besides the commissioner, additional commissioners and other top officials of the police force, 60 mobile wireless vehicles, armed jawans and constables were stationed at sensitive areas of the city. Commissioner Maniram, while expressing satisfaction with the bandobast said that the event would pass off peacefully without any trouble. The procession is expected to reach its destination by midnight.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.