Thousands of devotees gathered at Girgaon Chowpatty in Mumbai amid rains on Sunday morning to bid farewell to the iconic Lalbaugcha Raja and other idols of the elephant-headed deity, marking culmination of the 10-day Ganesh festival.
A helicopter of the Indian Coast Guard and Mumbai Police's drones maintained aerial surveillance during the immersion processions.
Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti closely monitored the immersions at Girgaon Chowpatty along with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde.
The city police were on alert after receiving a threat message on Thursday, claiming 14 terrorists had entered the city with 400 kilograms of RDX that was planted in 34 vehicles, an official earlier said.
Nearly 25,000 police personnel were deployed in the city to maintain law and order during the immersion processions.
The processions of major public Ganesh mandals, including the famous Lalbaugcha Raja, commenced on Saturday on the occasion of Anant Chaturdashi and continued overnight before reaching the seafront early Sunday, officials said.
The immersions of at least half-a-dozen Ganpati idols of public mandals, including Lalbaugcha Raja, were underway at the Girgaon Chowpatty, and are likely to take some time for completion.
Efforts were on to shift the idol of Lalbaugcha Raja on a specially built raft and it will then be taken into the deep sea for immersion.
Amid chants of "Ganpati Bappa Morya, pudhchya varshi lavkar ya", a fervent wish for the deity's early return next year, the devotees gave a grand yet cautious farewell to Lord Ganesh in the country's financial capital as they defied rain and a bomb threat to participate in the immersion processions.
As of 6 am on Sunday, a total of 36,632 idols had been immersed across the city, after the culmination of the last day celebration of the Ganesh festival, according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
This included 5,855 Ganpati idols of public mandals, 30,468 idols from households and 309 idols of Goddess Gauri.
"No untoward incident was reported during the immersion process," a civic official said.
The Mumbai Police were maintaining high vigil and made special security arrangements across the city.
More than 25,000 personnel, including of the Central Armed Police Force, Maharashtra Security Force and Government Railway Police, were deployed in the city to maintain law and order.
"With Love and Security, Mumbai Bids Goodbye to Bappa. At Girgaon Chowpatty, where thousands gather to bid farewell to Bappa, our on-ground officers and staff have ensured strong bandobast and seamless arrangements to make the visarjan process smooth for all Mumbaikars," the Mumbai Police said on their X handle on Sunday.
"Strengthened by duty and supported by Mumbaikars' faith, Team @MumbaiPolice ensured Bappa's farewell is safe, serene, and filled with devotion," Commissioner of Police Deven Bharti said on his X handle.
"Closely monitoring Ganpati Visarjan at Girgaon Chowpatty alongside Hon. CM @Dev_Fadnavis and Hon. DCM @mieknathshinde, ensuring smooth and safe proceedings for all devotees," Bharti said in a post on Saturday night.
The Mumbai Police have set up an Artificial Intelligence-based control room at Girgaon Chowpatty to monitor the situation during the immersion process an official earlier said.
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The police have also issued QR codes to prominent Ganesh mandals and stickers to vehicles engaged in the processions, the official said.
A helicopter of the Indian Coast Guard and Mumbai Police's drones maintained aerial surveillance during the immersion processions.
Mumbai Police Commissioner Deven Bharti closely monitored the immersions at Girgaon Chowpatty along with Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy CM Eknath Shinde.
The city police were on alert after receiving a threat message on Thursday, claiming 14 terrorists had entered the city with 400 kilograms of RDX that was planted in 34 vehicles, an official earlier said.
Nearly 25,000 police personnel were deployed in the city to maintain law and order during the immersion processions.
The processions of major public Ganesh mandals, including the famous Lalbaugcha Raja, commenced on Saturday on the occasion of Anant Chaturdashi and continued overnight before reaching the seafront early Sunday, officials said.
The immersions of at least half-a-dozen Ganpati idols of public mandals, including Lalbaugcha Raja, were underway at the Girgaon Chowpatty, and are likely to take some time for completion.
Efforts were on to shift the idol of Lalbaugcha Raja on a specially built raft and it will then be taken into the deep sea for immersion.
Amid chants of "Ganpati Bappa Morya, pudhchya varshi lavkar ya", a fervent wish for the deity's early return next year, the devotees gave a grand yet cautious farewell to Lord Ganesh in the country's financial capital as they defied rain and a bomb threat to participate in the immersion processions.
As of 6 am on Sunday, a total of 36,632 idols had been immersed across the city, after the culmination of the last day celebration of the Ganesh festival, according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).
This included 5,855 Ganpati idols of public mandals, 30,468 idols from households and 309 idols of Goddess Gauri.
"No untoward incident was reported during the immersion process," a civic official said.
The Mumbai Police were maintaining high vigil and made special security arrangements across the city.
More than 25,000 personnel, including of the Central Armed Police Force, Maharashtra Security Force and Government Railway Police, were deployed in the city to maintain law and order.
"With Love and Security, Mumbai Bids Goodbye to Bappa. At Girgaon Chowpatty, where thousands gather to bid farewell to Bappa, our on-ground officers and staff have ensured strong bandobast and seamless arrangements to make the visarjan process smooth for all Mumbaikars," the Mumbai Police said on their X handle on Sunday.
"Strengthened by duty and supported by Mumbaikars' faith, Team @MumbaiPolice ensured Bappa's farewell is safe, serene, and filled with devotion," Commissioner of Police Deven Bharti said on his X handle.
"Closely monitoring Ganpati Visarjan at Girgaon Chowpatty alongside Hon. CM @Dev_Fadnavis and Hon. DCM @mieknathshinde, ensuring smooth and safe proceedings for all devotees," Bharti said in a post on Saturday night.
The Mumbai Police have set up an Artificial Intelligence-based control room at Girgaon Chowpatty to monitor the situation during the immersion process an official earlier said.
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