Puttur, 25 August 2026: With a series of festivals approaching, the police and district administration have stressed the need for peaceful and responsible celebrations, while assuring that adequate security arrangements will be made across Puttur subdivision.
Speaking at a peace meeting held at the Puttur Cooperative Town Bank auditorium to discuss measures for maintaining public peace and law and order, Puttur Deputy Superintendent of Police Pramod Kumar said security arrangements would be made as required during the festivals.
“Cases have been registered in connection with recent developments and the legal process will continue. Investigations will be conducted within the framework of law and not to satisfy individuals,” he said.
Pramod Kumar said peace meetings had already been conducted earlier, but another meeting was convened following the recent incident at Darbe on the direction of the Superintendent of Police.
Darbe incident under investigation
Referring to the Darbe incident, he said the investigation was being carried out transparently based on available evidence, including CCTV footage and mobile phone videos.
He appealed to people to accept mistakes as mistakes even when differences of opinion arise over an incident.
“There is no need for people to gather in groups at places where an incident has occurred when the police are already present. The 112 emergency response system is available, and no one should take the law into their own hands,” he said.
He also urged people not to bring up previous incidents during festival celebrations and sought cooperation from all sections of society to enable the police to maintain law and order effectively.
‘Everyone must understand the purpose of festivals’
Puttur Assistant Commissioner Stella Varghese said people should understand the purpose of festivals and behave responsibly.
“There should be an attitude of accepting mistakes as mistakes. Festivals should be celebrated while maintaining peace and harmony. People should know how to behave in a district that is known for its responsible civic culture. Small issues should not become incidents that bring the district or State into focus for the wrong reasons,” she said.
‘Festivals succeed when communities celebrate together’
Puttur Tahsildar B.S. Koodalagi said festivals would be successful when people from different communities participated together.
“When festivals are celebrated with brotherhood without bringing communal issues into them, there will be little need for intervention by the police or the taluk administration,” he said.
Limited participation raises questions
The meeting, however, saw limited participation from some Hindu organisations and political groups. Former City Municipal Council Standing Committee chairman Sundar Poojary was present, while several BJP, Sangh Parivar and Hindu organisation representatives reportedly stayed away.
It was suggested that police action against attempts to disturb communal harmony through social media had led some members of a community to distance themselves from the meeting.
Calls for advance notice for peace meetings
Some participants questioned the manner in which the meeting was convened at short notice.
A view was expressed that peace meetings should be announced sufficiently in advance to enable representatives of all communities and organisations to participate.
Participants also said the administration was aware of those who could potentially create disturbances and suggested that such individuals should be directly counselled rather than limiting the discussion to a general peace meeting.
Public seeks stronger preventive measures
Members of the public offered several suggestions for maintaining peace during the upcoming festivals. They called for CCTV cameras in the town to be repaired and strengthened and urged the police to take preventive measures against those attempting to create tension.
Participants also noted that festivals of different communities had generally been celebrated peacefully in the region. As an example of community sensitivity, they referred to the decision to reduce festival celebrations and observe mourning in the Koila area of Kadaba following the death of a member of another community.
Some participants said law and order problems arise primarily when individuals take the law into their own hands.
Questions were also raised about why peace meetings are more commonly held ahead of Hindu and Muslim festivals, while similar meetings are generally not required during Christian festivals. Participants said the administration should explain the objective and basis for such meetings clearly to avoid creating unnecessary perceptions among communities.
Police and administrative officials, including Puttur Assistant Commissioner Stella Varghese, Tahsildar B.S. Koodalagi, Town Police Inspector Johnson D'Souza, Women’s Police Station Inspector Sunil Kumar, Traffic Police Sub-Inspector Suhas and Sampya Police Station Sub-Inspector Gunapal were present.
Keywords
Puttur peace meeting, Darbe incident Puttur, Puttur police, Puttur festivals, Puttur law and order, communal harmony Puttur, Pramod Kumar Puttur,