CM Yogi salutes UP Police for Vijayadashami duty
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
While families across Uttar Pradesh lit lamps and watched effigies burn on Vijayadashami, thousands of police personnel stood watch — and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath made sure that did not go unnoticed.
The Chief Minister's Office of Uttar Pradesh posted a tribute on Wednesday, 21 October 2026, sharing words attributed directly to the Chief Minister: 'जब हर कोई अपने परिवार के साथ खुशियां बांट रहा था, तब हमारे पुलिसकर्मी मुस्तैदी से अपना कर्तव्य निभा रहे थे' — 'While everyone was sharing joy with their families, our police personnel were diligently fulfilling their duty, so that every citizen could celebrate without fear.'
Festivity secured, duty fulfilled
Vijayadashami, also known as Dussehra, is among the largest public celebrations in Uttar Pradesh — a state of over 240 million people — drawing vast crowds to Ramlila grounds, processions, and effigy-burning events in cities and towns alike. The scale of public assembly makes coordinated police deployment a genuine operational challenge every year.
The Chief Minister's statement frames the police not merely as a security apparatus but as silent participants in the festival itself — on duty so others can be off-guard. That framing is deliberate and consistent with the tone the Yogi Adityanath administration has cultivated since 2017, when law and order was elevated as the defining promise of his first term.
A pattern that predates 2017 — but sharpened under CM Yogi
Uttar Pradesh Police has long received public acknowledgment during major festivals. What has changed under the current government is the frequency and visibility of such salutes — issued from the Chief Minister's official platforms, timed to high-footfall celebrations, and tied explicitly to the administration's law-and-order identity.
Since 2017, the government has consistently announced reinforced deployments for festivals including Diwali, Holi, Eid, and Vijayadashami, with senior leadership personally crediting ground-level personnel. Wednesday's post extends that practice into the 2026 festive season.
The kicker is simple and human: the officers whose Dussehra consisted of a lathi, a uniform, and a crowd to manage — rather than a family dinner and fireworks — got their public thank-you today.