Mumbai's Siddhivinayak Temple suspends offerings citing security concerns
NEW DELHI: Amid rising tensions between India and Pakistan, Shree Siddhivinayak Temple Trust President Sada Sarvankar said that offering coconut, flowers, and laddu prasad has been prohibited for some time for security reasons.Sarvankar confirmed that temple security measures are robust, with the trust implementing comprehensive safety protocols for devotees."The security at the temple is efficient. Mumbai Police and the trust security are deployed... Extra security steps have been taken considering tensions at the border," Sada Sarvankar said."We have decided that offering coconut, flowers, and laddu prasad has been prohibited for some time. Temple trust is taking all necessary steps to ensure the safety of the devotees," he added.Earlier, Maharashtra Chief Minister Devendra discussed statewide precautionary measures amid escalating tensions, referencing a high-level meeting conducted on Friday to evaluate the situation."Just yesterday, we held a meeting based on the war book to determine the precautions we should take. We are taking those necessary measures. All district units have been provided with the required information and resources," the Maharashtra CM said.Following Pakistan's aggressive drone and munition attacks along the western border and Line of Control (LoC) this morning, the Indian Armed Forces responded by striking crucial Pakistani military installations, including technical facilities, command and control centres, radar sites, and ammunition strongholds.The Indian Armed Forces initiated Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting nine terror sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoK).This action was in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam.On Sunday, Director General Military Operations (DGMO) Lieutenant General Rajiv Ghai stated that the current India-Pakistan tensions over the past three to four days equate to war-like conditions.He honoured five fallen jawans of the armed forces and civilians who died due to Pakistani shelling across the Line of Control (LoC).He indicated possible Pakistani Army involvement in cross-border infiltration attempts targeting army posts."The activities that have been going on for the last 3-4 days are no less than a war.Under normal circumstances, the air forces of the countries do not fly in the air and attack each other... Under normal circumstances, infiltration across the Line of Control is done by terrorists. We have information that the Pakistani army may also be involved in infiltration across the Line of Control, which is trying to harm our posts," Ghai said in a presser in the national capital.The DGMO emphasised India's substantial restraint whilst focusing on non-escalatory actions, stating that any threat to national sovereignty would face decisive force.
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