Jamshedpur: The festivities associated with Ramnavami processions turned sour in the steel city as majority of the Ramnavami Akhara organisers refused from taking out the processions in protest against the administration restrictions imposed on the processions.
Instead of taking out the processions, the Akhara committees staged dharnas at strategic locations like Sakchi roundabout and Jugsalai Chowk Bazaar, demanding the administration to call off the restrictions.
The head of a prominent Akhara at Kashidih in Sakchi has even given a call for the Jamshedpur bandh tomorrow.
The district administration had announced a ban on the use of trailers and also the normal use of DJs during the Ramnavami processions triggering protest by several Akhara organisers.
The protest intensified after the police on Thursday seized a trailer which was being decorated by one of the Akhara committees at the Aam Bagan ground in Sakchi. As soon as the trailer was seized, the Akhara organisers had started pressurising the administration to release the vehicle. But as the request did not yield any result, Abhay Singh, president of central Akhara Samiti on Thursday appealed the remaining Akhara organisers not to take out the processions.
Despite the call for a boycott appeal, several Akhara organisers took out the processions and immersed the religious jhanda in the Kharkai and Subernarekha.
Large number people, including women and children had assembled along the main roads in Sakchi, Bistupur, Sonari and other localities to have a glimpse of the traditional processions, but were disappointed in absence of the processions.
Devotees in large number participated in the celebrations with members of a few Akhara committees displaying dare devil acts through out the route.
Subernarekha ghat (Sakchi), Kapali Ghat (Sonari), Domuhani ghat (Sonari), Sati Ghat (Kadma), Bhuiyandih ghat (Sitaramdera) , Bodhanwala ghat (Bistupur) and Baroda ghat (Bagbera) were earmarked for immersion.
Drone cameras were used for aerial surveillance near composite control room (CCR), near Sakchi police station and near Sakchi roundabout, Mango roundabout and Subernarekha river ghat.
All the licensed akhara committees had their own videographers to record their immersion procession while the administration from its own end deployed videographers at Sakchi CCR, Kadma, Sonari and near Mango police station.
East Singhbhum civil surgeon team deployed medical team with ambulances, first aid kits at 19 locations primarily on routes taken for immersion procession, namely Gandhi Maidan roundabout and Mango roundabout (in Mango), Kapali Ghat, Domuhani, Ram Mandir, Bharat Sevashram Sangh (all in Sonari), Ram Mandir (in Bistupur).