UP govt brings fresh measures after stampede deaths in Mahakumbh Mela

A day after at least 30 people were killed in a predawn stampede at the Maha Kumbh, the Uttar Pradesh government has enforced stricter measures for better crowd management and safety of devotees as it restricted vehicular movement, cancelled VIP passes, increased security deployment, and ended needless restrictions on the pontoon bridges that connect the mela city.

Officials familiar with the matter said on Thursday that the Maha Kumbh area will be a "no-vehicle zone" till February 4, a day after the conclusion of the next "Amrit Snan" on Basant Panchami, during which millions of people are expected to congregate at the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna.

Before the directive, vehicles with valid passes were allowed to travel to different camps set up at the Maha Kumbh site.

They added that the government also banned the entry of four-wheelers and buses from outside Prayagraj from entering the city till February 4.

"Vehicle passes will not be valid until all devotees have safely left for their destinations," Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Anshuman Mishra said.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is scheduled to visit the Kumbh on February 5.

The authorities clarified that there will be no restrictions on the movement of police and administration vehicles, ambulances, and other essential service providers.

The administration also revoked close to VIP passes to streamline people's entry. Earlier, those having VIP passes were allowed access till tents of Akhadas and sadhus in various sectors.

"As a result, VIPs and VVIP delegations planning to visit Prayagraj ... will not receive special privileges or protocols. Additionally, the government has made it clear that any VIP or VVIP movement must be informed at least a week in advance. This rule will help prevent last-minute VIP visits that could disrupt arrangements for pilgrims," an official statement said.

On Wednesday, surging crowds burst out of police barricades to rush towards a narrow strip of the riverbank at the Maha Kumbh, leading to a stampede.

Authorities said the tragedy occurred between 1 a.m. and 2 a.m. as millions of devotees jostled to find a toehold before taking a dip at the holy Sangam nose, smashing through cordons and putting the spotlight on administrative lacunae in preparing for the "Mauni Amavasya", considered by many as the most auspicious moment of the six-week festival.

Hours after the disaster, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said such incidents "are heartbreaking and serve as a lesson".

After reassessing the crowd pressure in Prayagraj, the state government deployed more personnel across the city, according to officials aware of the matter.

The Centre also rushed additional paramilitary personnel, from the Indo-Tibetan Border Police (ITBP), the Central Reserve Police Force (RPF), the Special Security Force (SSF), and the Border Security Force, following a request from the Yogi Adityanath government, they added.

"In anticipation of a large number of pilgrims, we are further strengthening the deployment of police personnel and security forces," Deputy Inspector General of Maha Kumbh Nagar, Vaibhav Krishna, said.

Officials claimed that the devotees who had gathered at the Sangam early on Wednesday pushed towards the main bathing area at the confluence of two rivers rather than spreading out, which triggered the stampede.

"We are looking at making some changes now," Krishna, said, adding that the festival site will be divided into more sectors.

The area where the rivers join "will have additional forces, and we will try to reduce the turnaround time of pilgrims in the bathing area," he added.

Witnesses to Wednesday's tragedy said that limited access to exit points worsened the disaster as the Sangam nose was choc-a-bloc with pilgrims, with no space left for people to turn back after taking the dip.

On Thursday, the state government also directed senior officials not to "unnecessarily" close pontoon bridges to ensure smooth entry and exit of pilgrims, especially on February 3, according to people aware of the matter.

Pontoon bridges are temporary, floating structures, which serve as a link between the Sangam and the 4,000-hectare "akhada" area.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh and Director General of Police Prashant Kumar on Thursday reached the Maha Kumbh Mela area for a review.

The two senior officers first went to Jhusi and then to Sangam as they collected information about the stampede from District Magistrate (Mahakumbh Nagar) Vijay Kiran Anand.

On Thursday, 20 million people took the holy bath at the Sangam till 8 p.m., according to the state government, as the number of devotees attending Kumbh was relatively low.

The three-member judicial commission set up by the Uttar Pradesh government to probe the stampede was scheduled to visit the incident site on Friday and submit its report in a month, panel head and former Allahabad High Court judge Harsh Kumar said.

"Tomorrow (Friday), we will visit the site to conduct an inspection and analyse the possible causes and circumstances surrounding the incident. We will carefully consider all factors and are required to submit our report within one month," Kumar added.

Former Director General of Police (DGP) VK Gupta and retired IAS officer DK Singh are the other members of the panel.