Kolkata: With the autumnal festival only three days away, police made over 24,000 premptive arrests and recovered a large number of arms and ammunition across West Bengal to ensure peaceful celebration of the four-day Durga puja.

Elaborate security arrangements have been made in all the districts with the deployment of special police force, in addition to the existing police personnel, particularly in the over populated areas and areas having mixed population.

While police deployment has been increased in all major railway stations, long distance buses are under supervision by the policemen all over the state, inspector- general of police (law and order) Chayan Mukherjee said on October 9.

He said that 24,503 premptive arrests had been made since September 17 in course of raids in the sensitive areas, during which 161 arms, 524 rounds of ammunition and other weapons were recovered. Besides, 126 persons were taken into custody on the charge of harassing people for charging higher subscription for the puja.

A central control room has been set up at the state secretariat (Writers' Buildings), besides at the district headquarters, particularly in Howrah, South and North 24 Parganas districts.

To a question, Mukherjee said that close-circuit TV sets would be installed in two big puja pandals to keep watch on the crowds. Such TV sets would help keep vigil on the crowd movements in two pandals, Bosepukur and Sribhumi areas, near the city.

PTI