The city and the district police will ramp up security measures ahead of Dasara in view of the controversy built up in the run-up to the festivities over its inauguration and the opposition to it by the BJP.A high-level meeting of senior officials took place on Wednesday in which the Director General and Inspector General of Police M.A. Saleem instructed the Mysuru Police to ensure comprehensive security arrangements for the festival.The police was directed to continuously monitor the security apparatus in place and regularly conduct meetings to further streamline and upgrade the prevailing measures based on changing requirements.The discussion on security measures also comes in the wake of the recent stampede deaths in Bengaluru during Royal Challengers Bengaluru’s IPL victory celebrations, the Maddur stone-pelting incident that flared up communal tensions, and the opposition to the State government’s invitation to author Banu Mushtaq to inaugurate this year’s Dasara festival, which is slated to be clebrated from September 22 to October 2.The inauguration of the Dasara will take place atop the Chamundi Hills during which, the authorities are anticipating trouble in the form of protests. In order to prevent this, suitable measures should be taken by the police, stated Mr. Saleem.Arrangements will be monitored by the Superintendent of Police as a slew of VIPs, including Chief Minister Siddaramaiah, Deputy Chief Minister D.K. Shivakumar, and other Cabinet Ministers are scheduled to be present during the inauguration. There will be no dilution of security measures after that, said Mr. Saleem, as the festival will go on till October 2 — the day of the Jamboo Savari — when lakhs of people are expected to congregate in Mysuru.Hence, security will be ramped up not only around the palace and other places of tourist interest, but also along the Dasara procession route and the Bannimantap Grounds, where the Torchlight parade will be held. The police has also been instructed to ensure suitable security at other venues of Dasara, including Chamundi Hills and Aahara Mela. Deputy Inspector General Boralingaiah, City Police Commissioner Seema Latkar, Superintendent of Police N. Vishnuvardhan, and other officials were present.Meanwhile, Rapid Action Force (RAF) has already been deployed in the city and they have conducted route marches in sensitive areas of the city as a confidence-building measure.Published - September 18, 2025 07:29 pm IST