The traditional ‘Shastra Pujan’ ceremony was organised at Police Lines in Jabalpur on the occasion of Vijayadashami on October 20. The ceremony was conducted with Vedic chants, rituals and a havan, in keeping with the age-old tradition of worshipping weapons on Dussehra. Public Works Department (PWD) Minister Rakesh Singh, Rajya Sabha MP Sumitra Valmiki, Lok Sabha MP Ashish Dubey, Mayor Jagat Bahadur Singh Annu, MLAs Ashok Rohani and Neeraj Singh Thakur, DIG Jabalpur Range Atul Singh and

 

Collector Arun Kumar Vishwakarma were present during the ceremony. Other dignitaries included Superintendent of Police Sampat Upadhyay, JDA Chairman Sandeep Jain, Municipal Corporation Chairman Rikunj Vij, BJP city president Ratnesh Sonkar and Additional Collectors Ravishankar Rai and Shailendra Singh. Senior police officers, including Additional SPs Dr Ayush Jakhar, Manish Bhardwaj, Jitendra Singh, Anjana Tiwari and Akhilesh Tiwari, along with city police station officials, Reserve Inspector Jai Prakash Arya and other police personnel, also attended the ceremony. Addressing the gathering, Minister Rakesh Singh said worshipping weapons on Vijayadashami is an integral part of India’s cultural heritage. Extending festive greetings to the people of the district, he emphasised that Indian tradition accorded equal importance to shastra (scriptures and knowledge) and shastra (weapons).

 

He said scriptures had traditionally guided governance and helped citizens follow the path of law and righteousness. At the same time, weapons were necessary to deal with those who violated the law. He added that the police had the authority and responsibility to uphold both the rule of law and the constitutional framework while protecting citizens who abide by them. DIG Atul Singh and SP Sampat Upadhyay also extended Vijayadashami greetings to the residents of Jabalpur. Following the rituals, a ceremonial firing was also conducted. Additionally, Police vehicles were also worshipped as part of the programme. The ceremony was organised with the commendable efforts of Reserve Inspector Jai Prakash Arya, Amit Shivvanshi and the Police Lines staff. Police station in-charges across the city and rural areas also performed the traditional worship of arms and vehicles at their respective police stations.