Jagannath Rath Yatra begins amid heavy security arrangements in Udaipur

The annual Jagannath Rath Yatra began in Udaipur on Friday amid heavy security arrangements, three days after a tailor was brutally murdered in the city triggering communal tensions.

Special permission was given by the district administration to take out the procession as a curfew was clamped in seven police station areas on Tuesday night following the murder of tailor Kanhaiya Lal.

Thousands of people attended the procession, which is expected to take several hours to cover its 7-km-long route.

Around 3,000 policemen have been deployed in the city to maintain law and order.

ADG Dinesh M N, who is camping in Udaipur, said the deployment of policemen for the yatra this year is three times higher than the previous occasions.

"We hope that the yatra goes well. Senior officials have been deployed on key points. Volunteers of the organisers are also working in close coordination with police," he said.

The annual yatra is being organised after a gap of two years as it could not be held due to the covid pandemic.

It began from the Jagdish temple at Jagdish Chowk. An idol of Lord Jagdish is placed on a silver chariot during the procession. Some religious tableaux are also part of the procession.

Some groups of the youth were seen shouting religious slogan like "Jai Shri Ram".

The yatra will pass through areas like Ghantaghar, Bada Bazar, Badbuja Ghati and Mandi ki Nal before returning to Jagdish Chowk in the night.