Rupnagar: To ensure the safety and well-being of the devotees, a comprehensive ban has been imposed on the use of speakers on tractors and trucks during the Hola Mohalla festivities starting March 10, 2025.
This annual celebratory religious event, spread over 5 days, will last till March 15, 2025 at Sri Anandpur Sahib and Sri Kiratpur Sahib in Rupnagar district. Both places are of immense religious significance for the Sikhs. Lakhs of Sangat (devotees) throng this event.
Senior Superintendent of Police (SSP) Rupnagar, Gulneet Singh Khurana, said that police administrations across all districts in Punjab have been informed to issue instructions to Station House Officers (SHOs) and Traffic Incharges.
These instructions will be passed on to the representatives of truck unions and panchayats, prohibiting double-decker trucks/vehicles, large speakers on tractor trolleys, pressure horns on motorcycles, and motorcycles without silencers from entering both places during the celebrations.
The decision to ban loudspeakers was made to prevent inconvenience to the devotees arriving from various parts of the country and abroad, highlighted the SSP.
Additionally, strict actions will be taken against those violating traffic rules and laws. Vehicles found causing noise pollution will have their speakers removed on the spot before being allowed to proceed further.
During the 2023 celebrations, a tragic incident had occurred where a Sikh youth lost his life due to a conflict caused by a tractor loudspeaker. This incident underscores the necessity for stringent measures to ensure the safety of all participants.
SSP Khurana has appealed to all Sangat to adhere to the instructions and traffic rules issued by the police administration, thereby preventing any untoward incidents during the celebrations.
