60k cops to be deployed for 2025 Maha Kumbh

Prayagraj: Apart from applying artificial intelligence (AI) based technology and tools for crowd and traffic management at the upcoming Maha Kumbh 2025 in Prayagraj, the strength of man power in terms of police forces will be doubled compared to 2019 Kumbh. In an attempt to organise hassle and incident free 2025 Maha Kumbh, the authorities of mela police have started drafting plans, preparations and analysis for the deployment of police forces for better crowd and traffic management.Senior mela police authorities would be deploying around 50,000 to 60,000 police force for the event.
After analysing the highest crowd density spots during 2019 Kumbh Mela with the help of crowd analytics software during Mauni Amavasya Snan, the Mela police would be chalking out its crowd management and security plan more elaborately for 2025 Maha Kumbh shahi snan. The Mela administration would be deploying additional forces and volunteers at five prime kumbh spots — Sangam noze, Kali Sadak, Akhara Marg, Ganga Prasar Kshetra and Parade — for better crowd management during the ‘snan’, likely to be attended by millions of devotees. In 2019, mela police officials had deployed a team of 10 information technology (IT) experts to review densely populated areas and noticed that the density of devotees and pilgrims was the highest at Sangam noze — 3.19 persons per square meter -- followed by Kali Sadak, Peepe ka Pul, Akhara Marg, Ganga Prasar Kshetra and Parade. At this time, the experts took help of 452 high-definition cameras installed at the Integrated Control & Command Centre (ICCC) and crowd analytics software in arriving at the conclusion. “After analyzing facts and figure, Mela police had then chalked out security plan and additional forces, including companies of para-military forces and senior rank rank police officers were deployed at these five locations,” revealed a senior cop, who played a major role in regulating the flow of crowd during 2019 kumbh, adding “Additional forces were called in from all zonal districts to man crowd”.
As CM Yogi Adityanath has directed the state police authorities to embrace the technology for the mega event, mela police authorities are busy in drafting out security plan for 2025 Maha Kumbh. Additional DG (Prayagraj zone) Bhanu Bhaskar said, “An elaborate security and safety blueprint will be prepared to ensure safety of visitors for Maha Kumbh. Apart from deployment of additional police forces, mela police would be maximising the use of technology based policing for crowd and traffic management during MahaKumbh”.
Additionally, AI-based equipment and techniques will be used to keep an eye on crowd density so that any possible clustering may be dispersed before the group upsets order in any pocket,” he said.