Police carry out anti-sabotage checks at city immersion ghats

KOLKATA: It is not often that ghats along the Hooghly undergo thorough anti-sabotage checks. But Special Branch officers carried out these checks at major ghats like Baje Kadamtala and at the adjoining ones on Tuesday, the second day of immersion.
Cops said that they were following "minimum security measures," given the city will be hosting an international cricket match - Australia vs South Africa in the World Cup semifinal - in the next 48 hours.Sources claimed that the checks were to ensure no one was carrying banned firecrackers with them.
"The general trend has been that most idols are immersed on the first two days. We are expecting a rush on Wednesday, though. Most of the bigger pujas could be coming for immersion around midnight on Wednesday," said an officer.
Traffic, meanwhile, moved normally, thanks to extra deployment on the routes.
The immersions on the first two days were not without controversies. Late in the evening on Tuesday, across several pockets in north and south Kolkata, cops received complaints of DJ music being played during processions. Using DJs during immersions has been prohibited for several years in Kolkata. The use of DJs was relatively less last year, but it emerged as a constant in most puja immersions on Tuesday.