Jabalpur is on high alert Saturday as President Droupadi Murmu arrives for a two-day visit that will see her attend the state-level International Yoga Day celebrations and the 36th convocation of Rani Durgavati Vishwavidyalaya — all while the city's administration simultaneously manages a re-NEET examination for over ten thousand students.

Murmu is scheduled to land at Dumna Airport at 6.10 pm aboard a special Indian Air Force aircraft flying in from Kalaikunda airbase in West Bengal. Governor Mangubhai Patel will receive her on arrival, along with Deputy Chief Minister Jagdish Devda, Higher Education Minister Inder Singh Parmar and senior police and administrative officials. Chief Minister Dr. Mohan Yadav is also expected to reach Jabalpur separately around 8 pm. The President will stay overnight at Circuit House No. 1.

Security arrangements across the city are extensive. Over 3,000 personnel have been deployed along the entire route from Dumna Airport through to the Circuit House, Garrison Ground and the university campus. Railway Protection Force teams are active at the railway station, with dog squads conducting checks. A 15-kilometre no-fly zone has been declared covering Dumna Airport, Circuit House No. 1, MES Rest House, Garrison Ground, RDVV and the full VVIP route. Drones, UAVs, paragliders, hot air balloons, kites and any other airborne objects are prohibited in the restricted zone. Collector Raghavendra Singh, acting on a report by SP Sampat Upadhyay, has issued orders that violations will attract action under Section 223 of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Sunday morning begins early. Murmu will leave the Circuit House at 7.05 am and reach Garrison Ground in Sadar by 7.20 am, where the state-level Yoga Day programme begins at 7.30 am. She will preside as chief guest over the mass yoga session before returning to the Circuit House by 8.35 am.

The RDVV convocation follows at 11.50 am. Students from various faculties will receive degrees and gold medals in a ceremony running until 12.50 pm. However, the event has not been without controversy — hundreds of research scholars and gold medallists who travelled from across the country have alleged that the university administration informed them at the last moment that only 20 selected students would be called on stage to receive honours directly from the President. The researchers have accused the university of bias and discrimination in the selection process.

After the convocation, Murmu will head directly to Dumna Airport and depart for Gwalior at 1.20 pm.

The re-NEET examination adds a significant logistical layer to Sunday's arrangements. Twenty-three examination centres have been set up across the district, with more than 10,000 students expected to appear. The state government has assigned the Collector overall responsibility for examination logistics. In what officials described as a first-of-its-kind arrangement, government buses will ferry students from Pantinaka Chowk to various examination centres until noon. Temporary sheds with coolers, fans, drinking water and snacks are being set up for accompanying family members waiting outside. A helpline number — 7049158826 — has been made available for students or families facing transport-related difficulties.

Murmu had on Friday attended the World Sickle Cell Day programme at Onkareshwar in Khargone district before proceeding to Jabalpur.