Did more police deployment in Little India dull Deepavali eve crowds?

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More police deployment in Little India dulled the Deepavali eve crowd atmosphere

The writer says that the increase in police presence during Deepavali weekend in Little India dulled the celebration on Deepavali eve. After an announcement that “more police” would be deployed for crowd and traffic control, they describe a noticeably different scene on the street, including fewer foreign workers and many food outlets closing before midnight.
The pre-event announcement set expectations for crowd control
A few days before Deepavali weekend, the writer saw an announcement stating that more police would be deployed in Little India for crowd and traffic control. They had already been looking forward to the annual countdown after two years of missed visits due to Covid-19, making the change in atmosphere more noticeable to them.
The night looked less lively, with fewer foreign workers and earlier closures
On the eve itself, the writer observed significantly fewer foreign workers on the streets and explicitly questioned where they were. They also linked the reduced late-night bustle to the rule that restaurants and bars could not sell alcohol after 10.30pm, noting that many eateries, including the one their family usually goes to, were closed by midnight.
Police presence and traffic halts were visible throughout the area
The writer described the increased deployment as “hard to miss,” with uniformed personnel on almost every corner. They also said traffic was consistently halted, with many vehicles pulled over for what they assumed were routine traffic stops, even though they believed driving down Serangoon Road at midnight was not a crime.
The writer contrasts the controlled scene with past Deepavali spontaneity
They frame Deepavali eve as normally featuring spontaneous street energy around the clock strike at 12, with confetti, cheering, and a parade-like flow of cars, bikes and trucks down Serangoon Road. In contrast, they argue that the crowd-control approach “snuff[ed] out the spark” that made the celebration special, while also pointing out that major violence or injuries during Deepavali that are commonly cited by local media were associated with December 2013 rather than Deepavali itself.

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Did more police deployment in Little India dull Deepavali eve crowds?

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