More than 1,000 cops deployed in Delhi for security ahead of Dussehra

With Dussehra celebrations all set to take place with pomp and show in the national capital, security arrangements have been made to maintain law and order in the city amid the festive fervour.

Speaking to ANI about the security arrangements for Dussehra, deputy commissioner of police Joy Tirkey said, "Around 1,000 police personnel and additional forces have been deployed in the district. Ravan dahan is all set to take place tomorrow (Tuesday). For the burning of Ravan effigies, police have made detailed arrangements for fire safety hazards, traffic management and public safety."

"Firecrackers are banned, with this police team seized more than 100 kg of firecrackers yesterday. The whole city has been sensitized with regard to security during Dussehra celebrations," he added.

Vijayadashami, also known as Dussehra is a major Hindu festival celebrated every year at the end of Navaratri.

It is observed on the tenth day of the month of Ashvin, the seventh in the Hindu Luni-Solar Calendar. The festival typically falls in the Gregorian calendar months of September and October.

Vijayadashami celebrations include processions to a river or oceanfront that involve carrying clay statues of Durga, Lakshmi, Saraswati, Ganesha and Kartikeya, accompanied by music and chants, after which the images are immersed in the water for dissolution and farewell.

In other places, towering effigies of Ravana, symbolising evil, are burnt with fireworks, marking evil's destruction.

The festival also starts the preparations for Diwali, the important festival of lights, which is celebrated twenty days after Vijayadashami.

This year, Dussehra will be celebrated on October 24 (Tuesday). The Dashami Tithi will start from 05:45 PM on October 23, 2023, and will end at 03:14 PM on October 24, 2023.