Dussehra celebrated across Punjab, Haryana

Chandigarh: Huge effigies of demon king Ravana went up in flames as Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh joined the nation Tuesday in celebrating Dussehra, marking the triumph of good over evil.

Effigies of Ravana, his son Meghnad and brother Kumbhakaran were set on fire at scores of places.

Celebrations at several places, including Hoshiarpur, Mohali, Jalandhar, Amritsar, Ludhiana, and Patiala in Punjab, and Panchkula, Ambala, Karnal, Panipat, Rohtak, Bhiwani, Gurugram, and Faridabad in Haryana, were held.

Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann attended a Dussehra event at Hoshiarpur.

Speaking at the event, in which Punjab minister Bram Shanker Jimpa and former Union minister and BJP leader Vijay Sampla were also present, Mann said “today is the occasion which marks the triumph of good over evil”.

He said it is good to see that a number of children have come to witness the festivities and it will help give them an even better understanding about our rich culture and traditions. In Mohali’s Sector 77, along with effigies of Ravana, Meghnad and Kumbhakaran, an effigy symbolic of the drug scourge was also burned.

In Haryana, the key attraction was the 177-foot-tall Ravana effigy at Panchkula.

In Chandigarh, main festivities were held in sectors 46, 17, 34 and 49. Festivities passed off peacefully amid tight security arrangements in Punjab and Haryana, said officials.