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Police personnel keep vigil as part of safety precautions the day after a stampede at Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj on Thursday. PTI Photo
Kumbh Mela LIVE | UP chief secy, DGP at the spot for post-stampede review
Five special secretary-level officers are being assigned to oversee operations and they will remain in Prayagraj until Feb 12 to assist in streamlining the arrangements
Following the stampede at the Maha Kumbh on Wednesday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath issued a slew of guidelines on crowd management, traffic flow, prevention of build-up of devotees and coordination among departments.
The administration has implemented five major changes, including declaring the entire fair area a No-Vehicle Zone. Besides, no special passes will allow vehicle entry, eliminating any exceptions.
The chief minister ordered the deployment of Ashish Goyal, who served as Divisional Commissioner of Prayagraj during Kumbh 2019, and Bhanu Goswami, a former Vice Chairman of ADA, to further strengthen the arrangements, according to an official statement.
Adityanath asked the chief secretary and the director general of police to conduct a thorough review of the Maha Kumbh Mela arrangements on Thursday. "Every aspect related to security and public convenience must be carefully examined to ensure seamless arrangements for Basant Panchami," he said.
He said the incumbent ADG and the District Magistrate of Prayagraj must ensure safe and smooth departure of every devotee.
Five Special Secretary-level officers are being assigned to oversee operations, according to the government statement.
It said they will remain in Prayagraj until February 12 to assist in streamlining the arrangements. Moreover, Superintendent of Police-level officers will also be deployed for enhanced management and security, the statement said.
At least 30 people were killed and 60 injured in a pre-dawn stampede at the Sangam area of the Maha Kumbh Wednesday as millions of pilgrims jostled for space to take a holy dip on the occasion of one of the most auspicious days of Mauni Amavasya.
In light of the tragedy, the chief minister conducted a late-night video conference with senior police officers and officials from multiple districts including Prayagraj, Kaushambi, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Mirzapur, Basti, Jaunpur, Chitrakoot, Banda, Ambedkarnagar, Pratapgarh, Sant Kabir Nagar, Bhadohi, Rae Bareli and Gorakhpur.
After reviewing updates from the ADG and the District Magistrate of Prayagraj, the CM emphasised the need for heightened vigilance and caution in the mela area, according to the official statement.
The incident comes days after a massive fire reduced at least 18 tents to ashes at the fair following a cylinder blast.
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Live Updates
- 30 Jan 2025 11:09 AM
Panel findings report to be expedited
The three-member judicial commission set up by the Uttar Pradesh government to find the reasons behind the Maha Kumbh stampede has a month to wrap up its probe but will try to expedite it, panel head Harsh Kumar said on Thursday.
Kumar, a retired judge, also told PTI that the commission members would soon visit Prayagraj.
Kumar and panel members ex-Director General of Police (DGP) V K Gupta and retired IAS officer D K Singh reached the office assigned to them here and began their work on Thursday, an official statement said.
"We have taken charge within hours of the announcement as the probe has to be taken up on priority," Kumar told PTI.
Asked about the timeline for the probe, he said, "We have a one-month timeline but all the same, we will try to expedite it." He said the commission members will soon visit Prayagraj. However, he did not say when they would visit.
Asked if the three members will be probing separate aspects, Kumar said, "We will discuss this amongst ourselves. Can't go into detail right now."
- 30 Jan 2025 9:39 AM
UP chief secy, DGP at the spot for review
Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh and Director General of Police Prashant Kumar are at the spot for a post-stampede review.
The two top IAS and IPS officers of the state landed at a helipad in Arail here before heading towards the mela area.
The chief secretary and the DGP were seen climbing atop a watchtower in the mela area as they launched a review of the situation amid millions of devotees flocking to Maha Kumbh after the stampede.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had on Wednesday directed the chief secretary and the DGP to go to Maha Kumbh for an on ground and in depth review into the tragic episode
- 30 Jan 2025 7:54 AM
Two elderly women from Bengal among those dead in stampede
Two elderly women from West Bengal were among those who died in the stampede at the Maha Kumbh in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj, their family members said on Thursday.
Basanti Poddar of Golf Green in Kolkata succumbed to injuries suffered during the rush for taking a holy dip at the mega religious gathering on the occasion of ‘Mauni Amavasya’ on Wednesday, her son said.
Poddar’s son said he was in Prayagraj and arrangements were being made to bring her mother’s body to her native place in Bengal.
Urmila Bhuniya of Salboni in Paschim Medinipur district also died in the stampede at the Maha Kumbh on Wednesday, a family member said.
At least 30 pilgrims died and 60 others were injured in the pre-dawn stampede in the Sangam area of the Maha Kumbh, as millions of pilgrims jostled for space to take a holy dip on ‘Mauni Amavasya’.
The Maha Kumbh kicked off on January 13 and will continue till February 26.
- 30 Jan 2025 7:42 AM
Road crash leaves three pilgrims dead
Three people returning from the Maha Kumbh were killed when their car collided with a bus on the Jaunpur-Raebareli highway early Thursday.
Police said three others were injured in the accident and have been hospitalised.
The victims were identified as Sanjay Singh (45), his wife Vidyavati Singh (43) and another woman identified as Bindu Singh (40).
The bus driver fled from the scene, police said, adding the bodies have been sent for postmortem.
- 30 Jan 2025 7:04 AM
PIL in SC seeks safety measures for devotees at Maha Kumbh
A PIL was filed on Thursday in the Supreme Court seeking implementation of specific guidelines and regulations to ensure safety of devotees attending the Maha Kumbh where at least 30 people were killed and 60 injured in a pre-dawn stampede at Sangam area in Prayagraj.
The stampede took place on Wednesday on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, one of the most auspicious days of the Hindu calendar.
The petition, filed a day later under Article 32 of the Constitution by lawyer Vishal Tiwari, seeks to prevent stampede incidents and protect the fundamental rights of equality and life under Article 21.
The plea, which made the Centre and all the states as parties, has sought a direction to the Centre and the state governments to work collectively in ensuring a safe and secure environment for devotees at the Maha Kumbh.
“A petition … filed under Article 32 of the Constitution of India praying for a writ of mandamus or any other appropriate writs seeking issuance of specific directions, policies and regulations initiate guidelines and directions to state governments to facilitate the people for Maha Kumbh avoid stampede incidents and to determine and initiate assessment to ensure safety, viability etc. for the enforcement of fundamental right of equality and life under Article 21 of the Constitution and to call a status report,” the plea said.
It said all states should establish facilitation centres at Prayagraj to provide safety information and assist their respective residents in emergencies.
It also sought installation of signage and announcements in multiple languages to help pilgrims navigate the event with ease.
“All states shall establish in proper manner their facilitation centres at Prayagraj the Maha Kumbh. These centres shall provide and display the basic information regarding the safety measures and guidelines to the persons coming from their states. In emergency these centres shall be ready for any assistance,” it said.
- 30 Jan 2025 4:35 AM
Crowd management efforts ramped up after stampede
A day after a stampede at the Maha Kumbh left 30 dead, the Uttar Pradesh government ramped up efforts to ensure crowd management and safety of devotees who continued to flock here in large numbers for the religious gathering.
The devotees braved the pre-dawn chill and dense fog to take a dip in the Sangam and at other ghats here on Thursday. More than 55.11 lakh devotees had taken the holy dip till 8 am, according to the Uttar Pradesh government.
Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Anshuman Mishra told PTI that the area would remain a no-vehicle zone until the crowd disperses completely. "Vehicle passes will not be valid until all devotees have safely left for their destinations. No outside vehicles would be allowed to enter the city until the crowd exits the Mela area," he said.
However, senior officials may grant permission for vehicle entry based on the situation, he said.
Mishra clarified that essential services such as police administration vehicles, ambulances and suction machines would be allowed entry as they are crucial for the smooth management of the Maha Kumbh.
Meanwhile, Uttar Pradesh Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh and Director General of Police Prashant Kumar are scheduled to reach here later in the day for a detailed probe into the stampede.
The top officers would also conduct a thorough review of the arrangements in the Mela area, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Wednesday night.