Daitapatis carry Lord Jagannath to the chariot during pahandi ritual and (below) volunteers spray water on devotees during the chariot procession in Puri. Pictures by Sarat Patra

The state administration had put in place a security ring around the chariots in the wake of the row over devotees climbing the raths.

While security personnel created a human chain around the chariots, hundreds of other police personnel were deployed to manage the crowd inside the cordoned space.

Besides, Rapid Action Force (RAF) personnel did not let anyone without legitimate pass into the cordoned zone.

Two sections of RAF were deployed to manage the crowd. RAF and state police officials were deployed at all the entry points to cordoned area.

The police personnel deployed in the inner circle of each chariot expanded the human chain to create space for servitors. But at the same time, the police personnel also ensured that no one slipped through the circle to even touch the chariots, leave alone climbing them.

Apart from this, jawans of special operation group, India Reserve Battalion (IRB), were deployed inside the cordoned space to manage crowd and keep devotees off the chariots. Of the 104 platoons of police dedicated to the security of the festival proceedings, around 15 platoons were deployed at the cordoned area itself.

Though hundreds of devotees took shelter under the chariots to get respite from the heat, they were evacuated as soon as the rituals began on the chariots.

“The devotees were well aware of the high court ruling to debar non-sevayats from climbing atop the chariots. So, no one tried to go near the chariots, making it easier for us to manage the proceedings,” said a senior police official.

Before the chariots were pulled, the bomb disposal squad was pressed into service. A sniffer dog squad was also seen in action scanning the chariots and the nearby areas. Around 45 CCTV cameras were installed to keep a watch on the chariots and the devotees.

Director-general of police Prakash Mishra and special DG Sanjeev Marik personally supervised the arrangements within the cordon.

Policemen, both in uniform and civil dress, were pressed into service.

Unlike previous years when devotees climbed on chariots just after pahandi of the deities, delaying all following rituals, there was no chaos this time. However, a few devotees alleged that they were barred from getting inside the cordon despite having legitimate passes.

“The security personnel deployed at one entry point of the cordoned space told us to go through another entry point. But when we reached the second entry point, the security personnel asked to enter through the first point,” said Sourav Mishra, a devotee.

The police said there were no untoward incidents. Chief servitor of Nandighosha Jagannath Swain Mohapatra, said: “With co-operation from all sections, the rath yatra went off peacefully this year.”