CM Yogi Salutes UP Police on Vijayadashami Duty
Synopsis
Key Takeaways
While families across Uttar Pradesh lit up the night with Ravan effigies and celebration on Vijayadashami, one group stood apart from the festivities — quietly, steadfastly, in uniform. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, through the Chief Minister's Office of Uttar Pradesh, marked the occasion on Wednesday, October 21, 2026 by paying tribute to the state's police personnel who stood guard so every citizen could celebrate without fear.
The message, posted in Hindi, captured the contrast plainly: 'Vijayadashami ke paavan parv par jab har or ullaas aur umang ka vatavaran tha... tab policekarmee pooree mustaidi se apne kartavyon ka nirvaahan kar rahe the' — 'On the sacred festival of Vijayadashami, when an atmosphere of joy and enthusiasm prevailed everywhere... the police personnel were discharging their duties with full alertness, so that every citizen could enjoy the festival without fear.'
The force that never got to celebrate
Vijayadashami — or Dussehra — is one of the largest public gatherings in Uttar Pradesh, India's most populous state, drawing massive crowds to Ravan effigy burnings, Ram Lila performances, and processions across cities like Lucknow, Varanasi, and Ayodhya. Managing that scale demands thousands of officers deployed in crowd-control, traffic, and security roles — keeping them away from their own families precisely when the rest of the state is together.
Yogi's law-and-order messaging at a festival flashpoint
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who has governed Uttar Pradesh since 2017, has made law and order a cornerstone of his political identity. Acknowledging police work publicly during major Hindu festivals fits a deliberate pattern: it reinforces the administration's projection of disciplined, visible security at events that have historically required careful management in a state with a complex communal history.
The tribute also serves as a morale signal to the force itself — that its sacrifice of personal time does not go unnoticed at the highest level of government. With Diwali approaching and the Ram Lila season still active in several cities, security deployments across the state remain at an elevated tempo. The message is as much a forward-looking assurance to citizens as it is a salute to the constables already on the ground.