The Shobha Yatra procession, which marks Sri Ramanavami, and similar rallies in the city passed off peacefully on Saturday while police kept a tab on them with live video streaming.
Hundreds of youngsters carrying saffron flags gathered at Sitarambagh Temple at Mangalhat in the morning to take part in the yatra organised by the Bhagynagar Sriram Navami Utsav Samithi. The procession began in the afternoon.
The devotees raised religious slogans and danced to thumping music before a vehicle decked with an idol of Lord Rama.
Separate rally
Another procession, led by Goshamahal BJP MLA T. Raja Singh, started from Rani Avanti Temple at Gangabowli of Mangalhat, with scores of youth adorning the saffron sindhur on their foreheads and waving huge flags taking part. Thousands came onto the roads to watch the processions which were joined by another rally taken out from the Magara area of Mangalhat with a convoy of trucks.
Traffic was diverted along the procession route while teams of policemen were posted at strategic points. Massive security arrangements were made with nearly 2,000 policemen being deployed.
Streamed live
Taking the use of technology for policing to an all new level, vehicles mounted with high-definition cameras were used to keep an eye on the processions.
Some police patrol vehicles, each mounted with four cameras, followed the procession from different angles. Through mobile internet service, video footage from them was streamed live to the command control centre in the commissionerate.
Hyderabad Police Commissioner M. Mahender Reddy, along with other top officials, monitored the processions from the command centre.
The procession culminated in a public meeting at Hanuman Vyayamshala in Koti.
