With Dhanteras, Diwali, Govardhan Puja, and Bhai Dooj days away, Rajasthan Chief Minister Bhajanlal Sharma convened a high-level law-and-order review on Wednesday, 4 November 2026, directing senior police officers to step out of their offices and personally verify security arrangements on the ground.

What the CM told his officers

Speaking at the meeting, CM Sharma underscored that the festival season triggers a sharp surge in footfall at markets, public spaces, and tourist centres across the state — and that responsibility for maintaining peace and security rises in equal measure. His directive was unambiguous: 'सभी वरिष्ठ पुलिस अधिकारी स्वयं फील्ड में उतरकर सुरक्षा व्यवस्थाओं का जायजा लें' — all senior police officers must personally take stock of security arrangements in the field and ensure a safe, peaceful atmosphere.

The room carried weight. Chief Secretary V. Srinivas, the Additional Chief Secretary (Home), the Director General of Police, and the Additional Chief Secretary (Chief Minister's Office) were all present in person. Every Superintendent of Police and Inspector General of Police across Rajasthan's districts joined via video conference — a statewide virtual muster that underscored the urgency of the brief.

Why a pre-Diwali security review matters in Rajasthan

Rajasthan's festival footprint is substantial. Cities like Jaipur, Udaipur, Jodhpur, and Pushkar attract both domestic and international tourists during Diwali, compressing enormous crowds into bazaars and heritage precincts that were never designed for modern volumes. The state's police force must simultaneously manage fireworks-related incidents, traffic bottlenecks, petty crime spikes, and communal sensitivity in densely mixed localities — all within a compressed four-to-five-day window.

Indian state governments routinely hold pre-festival security conferences of this kind, but the emphasis on field presence by SP and IG-rank officers — rather than delegating entirely to lower-cadre personnel — signals that the administration wants accountability anchored high up the chain of command this year.

Sharma's governance posture since December 2023

CM Bhajanlal Sharma, who took office in December 2023 after the BJP's victory in the Rajasthan assembly elections, has positioned proactive law-and-order management as a signature of his administration. Regular reviews involving the Chief Secretary and top police brass have been a recurring feature of his governance style, reinforcing a centralised command-and-monitor approach to public safety.

The test, as always, is execution: whether Superintendents of Police and Inspectors General actually flood the field in the coming days, and whether the festival period passes without significant incident across a state that spans more than 33 districts and hundreds of active celebration sites.