Kolkata, Apr 5 (PTI) On the eve of the Ram Navami celebrations in West Bengal, the police beefed up security measures across the state as a large number of religious rallies are expected to be on the streets since the morning of Sunday, an officer said.

Clashes between groups were reported during Ram Navami celebrations in the state in recent years.

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A senior police official said not less than 60 rallies are likely to be taken out in Kolkata and over 3,500 police personnel will be on duty under the supervision of officials in the rank of deputy commissioner and joint commissioner of police ranks to keep vigil along the rally routes.

There will be drone surveillance and CCTV monitoring to keep a tab on the rallies with quick response team vehicles posted at strategic points such as Entally, Cossipore, Khidderpore, and Chitpore in various parts of the city.

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There will be live streaming of the rallies which will be monitored at Kolkata Police headquarters in Lalbazar, while over 20 IPS officers will be in charge of different divisions of Kolkata.

In the district, senior IPS officials will be monitoring the situation in parts of Howrah, Hooghly, North 24 Parganas, Asansol in Paschim Bardhaman, Purba Bardhaman, Malda, Murshidabad, Jalpaiguri and Siliguri to ensure the festival is held peacefully.

The police personnel will be on duty till April 7.

Commissioner of Kolkata Police M K Verma on Saturday visited parts of north and central Kolkata, particularly some cosmopolitan belts, accompanied by deputy commissioner ranked officials to take stock of the security arrangements.

In Sankrail area of Howrah district, a rally was taken out by worshippers of Devi Singhabahini on Saturday in which hundreds of people marched carrying cardboard replicas of sword and trident.

Annapurna Puja is traditionally celebrated on this day in West Bengal.

In the run-up to the 2026 assembly polls, Ram Navami rallies have been announced not only by the BJP and other right-wing Hindu groups but also by the ruling Trinamool Congress (TMC) in the state.

In areas with significant Hindi-speaking populations — such as Asansol and Siliguri cities in the southern and northern parts of the state respectively — the TMC is set to hold its own processions.

In Jalpaiguri, TMC councillors have reportedly distributed leaflets door-to-door to invite residents to participate in Ram Navami processions.

The police officer said that last year, around 60 rallies were conducted in Kolkata during Ram Navami — and the figure is expected to be the same this year.

In 2023, violence broke out in Howrah's Shibpur area during a Ram Navami procession, leading to arson, vandalism, and clashes between communities. The situation necessitated the deployment of central forces and the imposition of prohibitory orders.

Similarly, in 2022, clashes erupted in several areas including Shibpur and Rishra, drawing political fire from both the ruling party and the opposition.

Leader of the Opposition Suvendu Adhikari of the BJP said recently that 1.5 crore Hindus will come out of their homes to participate in Ram Navami celebrations this year and not less than 2,000 rallies will be taken out across West Bengal.

On the other hand, TMC spokesperson Joyprakash Majumdar accused the BJP of trying to incite people in the name of religion and playing the polarisation card after its repeated failure to dislodge the Mamata Banerjee government through democratic means.

Subhajit Sarkar, state committee member of CPI(M)'s student wing SFI, has said the student body's members will also hit the streets on April 6 and 7 and hold camps at "sensitive spots" and help maintain peace and amity.

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