Hundreds of devotees took part in a three-hour-long procession of Lord Vinayaka idols taken out by Hindu Munnani in the city on Wednesday. Over 200 idols brought from different parts of the city were taken on a procession from East Masi Street. The procession that started at around 5.30 p.m. wound through the Masi Streets, Old Chokkanathar Temple street, before reaching the Vaigai River.
Idols of different sizes and hues were brought in vans, tractor trailers, cargo autorickshaws and tricycles. The devotees who followed the vehicles danced their way to drum beats. Sporting saffron bands and saffron dhotis they shouted “Bharat Matha ki jai” all through the procession route. While hundreds of police personnel were deployed through out the route, additional strength, led by three Assistant Commissioners of Police, were posted near the Jumma Mosque on West Masi Street. The police had fortified outside the mosque by parking a riot-control vehicle, fire tender and other police vehicles. Most of those who took part in the procession were youths and urchins. Hundreds of people stood on the pavement all along the route and witnessed the procession of idols. The idols were later immersed in a pool of water in the riverbed near Sellur.
