RANCHI: Jharkhand’s law enforcement gears up for Holi with Special Branch directives prioritizing security and sensitivity. The festival, marked by Holika Dahan on March 3 and colors on March 4, demands extra caution given its convergence with Ramadan and a track record of sporadic clashes.
The statewide bulletin to district heads warns of vulnerabilities: inadvertent or deliberate color-spraying on non-participants from minority groups, particularly around sacred sites, and evening festivities overlapping sacred iftar moments. Anti-social actors could seize these to incite hatred, the note cautions.
Drawing from archives of previous disturbances shared with police units, the guidelines promote proactive policing. Districts must catalog every Holi event—milans, cultural shows, pyres—with full details on crowds and hosts. Communally volatile areas require intensified monitoring to nip issues in the bud.
Preventing forced revelry tops the list, alongside law-and-order drills, watchlists of past offenders, and busts on illegal booze joints, drug dens, and slaughter spots. Social media warriors fanning communal fires must be identified via admin contacts. Local peace panels, elite deployments, and sobriety checks on roads are non-negotiable.
With prohibition fueling deadly counterfeit brews, swift seizures and prosecutions are ordered. Drunken speeding, a Holi hazard, faces zero tolerance. By orchestrating these layers of vigilance, Jharkhand aims for a strife-free festival that reinforces social cohesion amid diverse traditions.