Police personnel, family members breach Ambari security for selfies: Pramoda Devi

Mysuru: Mysore Royal Family Member Pramoda Devi Wadiyar has reiterated that the 750-kg Golden Howdah (Ambari), carrying the idol of Goddess Chamundeshwari during the Vijayadashami procession, is the private property of the Royal Family and does not belong to the State.

In her media statement, she criticised the conduct of Police personnel around the Howdah.

“The attitude of the Police personnel needs to be addressed with proper instructions from their superiors. It is shocking to witness Police personnel and their family members breach security near the Ambari by thronging for selfies and photographs. This only displays a lack of discipline and constitutes dereliction of duty,” she said.

She said the Ambari was made available to the Commissioner of Police at the request of the Officer, subject to an undertaking that all precautionary measures would be taken to prevent any damage to it.

“The Ambari duty passes are given to certain specific people by me, yet unauthorised people from various Government Departments hover around it, which is nothing but a breach of the undertaking given by the Police Commissioner,” she noted.

“My representatives, who are on official Ambari duty along with a valid duty pass issued by the Police Commissioner to get back the Ambari intact, are also manhandled and shoved around by the Police personnel and the DCP (Law and Order), which is totally unacceptable. They need to know that the Ambari is private property and does not belong to the State and my representatives are only carrying out official duties entrusted to them by me,” Pramoda Devi Wadiyar added.