Lucknow/IBNS: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has ordered a judicial probe into the deadly stampede which took place at the Hindu religious festival Maha Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj in Uttar Pradesh in the early hours on Wednesday.

Yogi has issued a slew of measures to manage the massive crowd taking place at the Maha Kumbh regularly.

The CM said unnecessary halts should be avoided and crowd build up must be prevented.

"Ensuring every devotee reaches their destination safely is our responsibility," said Yogi.

The CM has directed authorities to prevent overcrowding at Prayagraj stations, deploy more Mela Special trains and additional Transport Corporation buses. 

Major guidelines issued by CM Yogi Adityanath

● A large number of devotees are gathered at all railway stations in Prayagraj, preparing to return home after completing their holy bath. ADG and the District Magistrate of Prayagraj must ensure the safe and smooth departure of every devotee. It is our responsibility to facilitate their journey. To achieve this, seamless coordination with the railways must be maintained to ensure continuous train operations. Additionally, extra buses from the Transport Corporation should be deployed to accommodate the rush. 
● Holding areas have been established at border points to manage crowd pressure in the fair area. Devotees should be allowed to proceed based on the prevailing situation. Arrangements for food and drinking water must be ensured at all holding areas so that no devotee faces any inconvenience. Additionally, uninterrupted electricity supply must be maintained at these locations. 

● Authorities in districts bordering Prayagraj must strictly enforce the directives issued from Prayagraj. Patrolling should be increased, and traffic should flow smoothly on all major routes, including Ayodhya-Prayagraj, Kanpur-Prayagraj, Fatehpur-Prayagraj, Lucknow-Pratapgarh-Prayagraj, and Varanasi-Prayagraj. All return routes from Prayagraj should remain open and unobstructed at all times.

● Traffic must remain smooth within the Maha Kumbh Mela area. Unnecessary halts should be avoided, and crowd build-up must be prevented at all locations. There should be no traffic congestion on the roads. If street vendors are occupying pathways, they should be relocated to designated open areas to ensure the continuous flow of movement. No road should face a jam at any point.

● The next Amrit Snan is scheduled for Basant Panchami on February 3. The Chief Secretary and Director General of Police should 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.

● To further strengthen the Maha Kumbh arrangements, Ashish Goyal, who served as Divisional Commissioner of Prayagraj during Kumbh 2019, and Bhanu Goswami, former Vice Chairman of ADA, are being deployed. Additionally, five Special Secretary-level officers are being assigned to oversee operations. They will remain in Prayagraj until February 12 to assist in streamlining the arrangements. Moreover, the Superintendent of Police-level officers will also be deployed for enhanced management and security.

● Lakhs of devotees visiting Maha Kumbh are also traveling to Varanasi and Ayodhya for darshan and worship, while many are heading to Chitrakoot and Mirzapur. With a significant increase in footfall expected over the next two days, heightened vigilance is essential in these key cities. Continuous monitoring and precautionary measures must be ensured. Holding areas should be created to regulate the crowd flow, allowing movement as per the situation. Barricading should be used effectively, traffic management should be improved, and adequate parking arrangements must be in place.

How did the stampede take place?

At least 30 people died and 90 others were injured in a pre-dawn stampede at the Maha Kumbh Festival in north Indian city of Prayagraj on Wednesday when thousands of pilgrims had assembled to take a dip in the sacred water on an occasion considered to be holy by Hindus, police said.

Thousands had gathered at the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and mythical Saraswati, to take a dip in the sacred water on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya (new moon).

"30 people have lost their lives in the Maha Kumbh stampede that took place between 1-2 am. 25 people have been identified and the identification of the remaining 5 is being done," DIG Mahakumbh, Vaibhav Krishna, was quoted as saying by India Today during a press conference.

When the massive crowd surged in the Hindu gathering, people pushed one another with many falling down on the ground leading to a massive chaos on the site where crores including the global personalities as well as Indian ministers are flocking for the holy bath regularly.

In several videos, multiple bodies were seen lying on the ground as people rushed to flee the spot.

People left their belongings on the ground as they looked for an exit from the scene alive.

Some of the seers have blamed the administration for prioritising VIPs instead of looking after the preparations for the Hindu festival.

"The administration was busy serving the VIPs. I saw that every VIP that attended the Maha Kumbh, the administration was busy just catering to them, it was not bothered with any preparations for the Kumbh," religious leader Premanand Puri said as quoted by Hindustan Times.

Union home minister Amit Shah, defence minister Rajnath Singh, boxing icon Mary Kom, American billionaire businessman Steve Jobs' wife Laurene Powell Jobs were among the VIPs who attended the festival.

Attended by sadhus, ascetics, pilgrims, the  Kumbh Mela is the Hindu pilgrimage held every 12 years.

The Maha Kumbh or Grand Kumbh is held every 144 years. This year's Maha Kumbh is significant as it coincides with the 12th Kumbh Mela.