Day after stampede at Maha Kumbh, UP Govt ramps up crowd management efforts

A day after a stampede at the Maha Kumbh left 30 people dead, the Uttar Pradesh Government ramped up efforts to ensure crowd management and safety of devotees who continued to flock here in millions for the religious gathering.

Maha Kumbh DIG Vaibhav Krishna on Thursday said the police were actively working on security arrangements for the “Amrit Snan” on Basant Panchami Snan (February 3), ensuring tight security measures in the mela area.

“In anticipation of a large number of pilgrims expected, we are further strengthening the deployment of police personnel and security forces,” he said. He added that the crowd pressure was relatively lower on Thursday, and all bridges had been reopened, allowing smoother movement within the mela area.

15 tents gutted, no loss of life

At least 15 tents were gutted on Thursday after they caught fire near Chamanganj Chowki outside Sector 22 in the Maha Kumbh Mela area with officials saying there was no loss of life. Chief Fire Officer (Kumbh) Pramod Sharma said the fire was extinguished immediately.

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The state government said no VIP protocols would be enforced by the administration on the special bathing days of February 3, 12 and 26.

Following Wednesday’s tragic incident, the 30 pontoon bridges in the mela area were operating under a one-way traffic system. This meant that each bridge allowed movement in only one direction, with a parallel pontoon bridge designated for return routes.

Geeta Agarwal, who travelled from Guwahati with her family, said, “I had come with my children and grandchildren to take a holy dip on Mauni Amavasya, but due to the overwhelming crowd, we couldn’t reach Triveni.”

UP CS, DGP meet victims

Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh and DGP Prashant Kumar visited Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital on Thursday to meet the injured devotees following the incident that occurred at Sangam area during the Mauni Amavasya Amrit Snan on Wednesday.