Kolkata, Sep 30 : In a bid to protect the jewellery adorned by goddess Durga in several puja mandaps across Kolkata from theft, the police have made special arrangements this year.

The police have deployed two policemen with rifles in 11 of those 13 puja mandaps while tighter security arrangements have been made in the remaining two.

According to Lalbazar (city police headquarters) sources, the job of the policemen would be to guard the gold and silver ornaments of the Durga idols.

The arrangements have been made for all 13 such puja committees where large number of gold and silver jewellery has been used to decorate the idols

Apart from this, two police officers with service pistols and two policemen with rifles will guard the ornaments in a puja mandap in the Muchipara area of ''central Kolkata.

At a puja pavilion in the Beniapukur area, two policemen with rifles are on duty to guard the idol's jewellery. In many mandaps, jewellery is adorned for a short time. However, as long as the idols have the jewellery, the police will be kept on guard. Apart from guarding jewellery, the policemen and officials will also keep an eye on the idol so that outsiders or any visitors do not get too close to it. At the same time, a sufficient number of CCTV cameras have been installed in those 13 puja pavilions.

"As the jewellery costs worth crores of rupees, special security arrangements have been made to protect them. A large number of visitors throng such mandaps during the five-day festival. Therefore, the risk of theft remains," said a senior officer of Kolkata Police.

It is a tradition among some puja organisers to adorn the idol of goddess Durga gold jewellery. The jewellery is counted and placed on the Durga idol.

Before immersion, the puja committee take it off and keep it in their custody.

The puja committees themselves make arrangements to protect the jewellery. However, this year the police also took an initiative to tighten the security further.

/IANS