June 27, 2025: Lakhs of devotees have thronged the seaside pilgrim town of Puri for Lord Jagannath's annual Ratha Yatra on Friday, for which the Odisha Government has made elaborate arrangements, officials said.
According to police sources, approximately one thousand people had arrived in Puri by Thursday evening and that number has skyrocketed this morning. They stated that thousands of devotees from the nation and abroad are anticipated to attend the event. “By the grace of Mahaprabhu (Lord Jagannath), we are fully prepared to conduct a smooth Rath Yatra on Friday. We are getting complete support and cooperation from the servitors. All arrangements are in place to make the mega event successful,” Shree Jagannath Temple Administration (SJTA) Chief Administrator Arabinda Padhee said.
The town is heavily fortified with the deployment of approximately 10,000 security personnel, including eight companies of Central Armed Police Forces.
Odisha DGP Y B Khurania said that for the first time, an Integrated Command and Control Centre has been opened in Puri to monitor the entire festival from close quarters.
Over 275 AI-enabled CCTV cameras have been installed across Puri and on the roads to Konark, 35 km away and famous for the 13th-century Sun Temple, for surveillance.
In addition, the DGP stated that snipers from the National Security Guard (NSG) will be stationed on rooftops in front of the temple along Grand Road.