With Holi just days away, Jharkhand Special Branch has rolled out an exhaustive security protocol for districts, aiming to forestall any communal discord during the joyous occasion. Set against March 3’s Holika Dahan and March 4’s festivities, the orders address amplified risks from concurrent Ramadan observances.
Potential triggers identified include overzealous color application to outsiders or religious precincts, and Holi soirées syncing poorly with iftar timings—opportunities ripe for saboteurs to erode interfaith amity. Past case studies from across the state have been circulated to sharpen local responses.
DCs, SSPs, and SPs are instructed to log all programming: event rosters with organizer intel, attendee projections, and bonfire permits. Heightened scrutiny falls on flashpoint locales. Core tactics involve stopping aggressive color coercion, scenario planning for unrest, profiling recidivist agitators, and targeting vice hubs like speakeasies, narco spots, and illicit abattoirs.
Digital patrols target divisive online clusters, compiling admin data for action. Peace forums at precincts, strategic force placements, ghat patrols, and VIP itineraries must be mapped. The directive hammers home the perils of bootleg hooch amid dry laws—raids, confiscations, and prosecutions are imperative to avert deaths.
Road safety nets against inebriated racers complete the blueprint. This thorough vigilance underscores Jharkhand’s resolve to host a Holi that binds communities in celebration, not conflict.