Committed to make Holi safe: Kathmandu Metropolitan Police

Holi, the festival of colors, has arrived at our doorsteps yet again. It is indeed one of the most awaited festivals celebrated with great delight and excitement by the Nepalese public. The ancient Hindu festival commemorating the divine love of Radha and Krishna and the triumph of good over evil has arrived. However, in the pretext of celebrating Holi, a lot of criminal activities and accidents take place.

During the past years, the day of Holi has seen a spike in criminal activities in the Kathmandu Metropolitan City. “The majority of the cases that get filed in the police station are related to theft and sexual harassment towards the women,” said Santosh Singh Rathour, Superintendent (SP) of Kathmandu Metropolitan Police. Just last year, 200 people were detained by the police for numerous misconducts on the day of Holi.

The other unfortunate thing that is likely to occur during the time of festivals is motor vehicle accidents. Driving under the influence of alcohol jeopardizes the safety of the one driving and the ones seated in the passenger’s seat as well. In the previous year, the Kathmandu Metropolitan City witnessed 47 vehicle accidents occurring on the day of Holi alone.

This brings us to the topic of law enforcement. Amidst the zeal and merriments of Holi, the concerns for ensuring the wellbeing of the people come forward. For safeguarding that, the perpetrators must be taken into account. This has been a major concentration area for the law enforcement officers along the years.

After looking closely at the patterns of crimes and accidents occurring on the day of Holi in the earlier years, the Kathmandu Metropolitan Police has prepared a special task force that will come into effect on the day of Holi. As per the blueprint, 1700 police personnel will be deployed in Kathmandu District, 600 in Lalitpur and 400 in Bhaktapur accordingly. In addition to that, 310 traffic police officers will be active that day in the valley.

Furthermore, it is encouraged by the police department to lodge complaints if anyone gets unwanted water or color thrown at them during the day of Holi. The police officers will investigate into the matter, and, if found guilty according to their examination, the perpetrator will be detained for a few hours, a night or will have further legal actions taken upon, depending on the severity of the matter.

 “We are planning meticulously to position the police officers in the different areas of the city in order to ensure the wellbeing of the people,” says SP Rathour.