Kolkata, Nov 9 — The Kolkata Police arrested 341 people during extensive raids across the city on the occasion of Kali Puja for allegedly bursting banned firecrackers and violating law and order norms, officials said on Monday.
According to police data released on Monday, 95 people were arrested for using prohibited firecrackers, while 246 others were taken into custody on charges related to disorderly conduct.
The police also recorded significant seizures during the enforcement drive. They recovered 131.1 kg of banned firecrackers and 6 litres of illegal liquor during raids.
According to the police, Lalbazar (Kolkata Police headquarters) sent special instructions to each police station in the city to ensure strict enforcement of rules on Kali Puja. Officers-in-charge and additional officers-in-charge were clearly instructed to ensure adequate police presence at the police stations on the night of the puja.
The force was kept on high alert to avoid any untoward incident.
The state government had issued several guidelines on bursting firecrackers well before Kali Puja. It had approved green firecrackers between 8 p.m. and 10 p.m. on the occasion of Kali Puja and Diwali. Authorities had also warned of stringent legal action against violators and prohibited the bursting of firecrackers within 100 metres of schools, hospitals and other designated silence zones.
It was also said that surveillance will be maintained on all these places.
Despite these restrictions in place, firecracker activity was reported from several parts of Kolkata from Sunday evening onwards, with complaints that violations continued well beyond the stipulated hours in some areas. Police subsequently launched enforcement operations against offenders.
A senior police officer said Kolkata Police would enforce the prescribed guidelines strictly and would not compromise on the safety and well-being of city residents.