Modi to join Dussehra in East Delhi as rain and security shape events

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to attend Dussehra festivities in East Delhi on Thursday evening, joining a traditional Ravana Dahan ceremony as heavy rains and tightened security shape the city’s celebrations. Officials said the prime minister is expected to arrive at the Utsav Ground in IP Extension, Patparganj, around 6 pm, the time set for effigy burnings in much of the capital region.

Organisers across Delhi, Noida and Gurugram planned Ravan Dahan between about 6:05 pm and 7:10 pm, with similar Pradosh period timings set in other cities such as Mumbai and Bengaluru. Local panchang and event schedules list Mumbai’s window roughly from 6:06 pm to 7:19 pm and Pune’s around 6:22 pm. This year’s Dashami tithi runs from the evening of October 1 through the evening of October 2, and many calendars noted auspicious muhurtas and astrological yogas that devotees consider favourable for rituals and new beginnings.

Authorities have mobilised significant security for the prime minister’s visit. Officials said about 20,000 police personnel were deployed at event sites in the capital and that traffic and parking arrangements were altered around major venues, including the Red...