Ludhiana: Around 2,000 police personnel, including traffic cops, will fan out across Ludhiana Diwali Sunday, with special checkpoints, intensified patrolling and deployment at crowded markets and major intersections to keep festive rush and revelry under check.The security cover will be in place from morning, while special night patrols will watch for hooliganism and violations of cracker-bursting restrictions. Deputy commissioner Himanshu Jain has permitted only green crackers to be burst between 8pm and 10pm.Additional DCP (headquarters) Vaibhav Sehgal said traffic personnel would be stationed at key chowks and market areas to regulate congestion, while SHOs would remain present at checkpoints in their respective jurisdictions.Police have asked residents to stick to the two-hour cracker window and report violations on 112. Those flouting the order could face a case under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita for disobedience of an order promulgated by a public servant.However, despite violations of cracker timings, no FIR has been registered on this count in the past three years. In 2022, Ludhiana police had registered 12 FIRs against unidentified persons under the corresponding Section 188 of the IPC, while eight such cases were registered in 2020.—
