1.2 mn Buddhists to attend Dhammachakra Pravartan Din in Nagpur Oct 9

Nagpur, Oct 8 (IANS) Over 1.2 million Buddhists from all over the country will attend the 52nd Dhammachakra Pravartan Din function here Thursday to commemorate the historic event when Dr Babasaheb Ambedkar led thousands of his Mahar community into Buddhism.

Union Home Minister Shivraj Patil will be the chief guest at the main function while Schedules Castes, Scheduled Tribes Commission chairperson Buta Singh will be the guest of honour, said a press release issued by Dr Ambedkar Smarak Samiti, the host organisation.

Kerala Governor R.S. Gavai, who is the chairman of the host Samiti will also be present besides Union Minister of State for New and Renewable Energy Vilas Muttemwar and Bharatiya Janata Party state unit president Nitin Gadkari.

Elaborate security arrangements complete with closed circuit TVs (CCTVs), night vision cameras and bomb detection and disposal squads have been specially incorporated for this year's function in view of recurring terror attacks targeting crowded places in different parts of the country.

The function is held in Nagpur every year on the Dussehra (Vijayadashmi) day.