Multitudes thronged the Parade Ground on Tuesday evening for the ritual burning of the effigies of Ravan, Kumbhkarn and Meghnad on the occasion of Dussehra. Chief minister Trivendra Singh Rawat also participated in this event organised by the Bannu Biradari Dussehra Committee. He worshipped lord Rama and Hanuman after which the effigies of Ravan, Kumbhkarn and Meghnad were set on fire.

Addressing the gathering on the occasion, the Chief Minister greeted all on the festival of Vijaydashmi, stating that Dussehra is a festival which symbolises the victory of good over evil. Ravan was a symbol of evil and was destroyed. He said that Dussehra is also a celebration of India traditions. Lord Rama is also a symbol of India culture and model character. This occasion also sends the message of correcting anything bad wherever it is seen in the society. By becoming good humans, people can become involved in the development of the society and the nation, he said. The Chief Minister also exhorted the citizens to celebrate the festivals peacefully and with mutual harmony.

The Bannu Biradari Dussehra Committee patron Harish Virmani also thanked the Chief Minister for announcing Rs 1.50 lakh for the committee. Greeting the public on the occasion of Dussehra, the Dehradun mayor Sunil Uniyal ‘Gama’ also exhorted them to commit themselves to making the city plastic-free. Stating that single-use plastic is very harmful to the environment, the mayor said that getting rid of it is in the long term interests of society.

MLAs Harbans Kapoor, Khajan Das, Ganesh Joshi, Vinod Chamoli, former minister Dinesh Agarwal and others were also present on the occasion.