Amid heightened security measures, more than two crore devotees took a dip in the Sangam till 6 pm on Wednesday on the occasion of Maghi Purnima during the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela here.
According to an official statement, special arrangements have been made for the sacred bath that began early Wednesday. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has been monitoring the event since 4 am at the war room in his official residence in Lucknow, the statement said.
With the 'snan' on Maghi Purnima, another auspicious day for holy bath, the month-long 'Kalpavas' will be ending and around 10 lakh 'Kalpavasis' will start leaving the Maha Kumbh. The administration has requested them to follow traffic rules and use only authorised parking spaces.
While lakhs of devotees are headed to the Sangam area, the government in the statement said that by 6 pm, over two crore people had taken the ritual dip at the Triveni Sangam and other ghats.
Overall since the start of the Maha Kumbh, over 47 crore people have taken a dip in the Sangam, it said.
Flower petals were also showered on devotees from helicopter.
Cricket legend Anil Kumble took a holy dip in the Triveni Sangam along with his wife Chaitna Ramtirtha.
After arriving in Prayagraj on Tuesday, Kumble chose to perform the bathing ritual on Maghi Purnima, a day when no VIP protocols are observed. He joined the devotees as a regular pilgrim, taking a boat to the confluence with his wife for the ritual.
Director General of Police Prashant Kumar, Principal Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad and officials of CM Secretariat are also present at the war room, the statement said.
Maha Kumbh Mela DIG Vaibhav Krishna said, "Our arrangements are quite good and police deployment is there at all places. Crowd is moving comfortably. Our SOPs are being followed." Maha Kumbh SSP Rajesh Dwivedi said the movement of devotees was going on smoothly and that security personnel were taking care of all (crowd) pressure points.
"We made elaborate arrangements during the previous 'snan' on Basant Panchami too. Our arrangements have been further augmented this time," he said.
Talking about security arrangements in place for the sacred 'snan', the SSP said, "More deployment has been done at all the pressure points. Along with that, we are briefing people to ensure a smooth movement." The UP government also launched 'Operation Chaturbhuj' at the Maha Kumbh to ensure the safety of the pilgrims.
According to the statement, the initiative has strengthened security with advanced surveillance by the Integrated Command and Control Center (ICCC), which monitored the event using 2,750 high-tech cameras, drones, and an anti-drone system for round-the-clock vigilance.
Mahakumbh Nagar SSP Rajesh Dwivedi said aerial surveillance and strict anti-drone measures have been put in place to ensure safety.
Meanwhile, Adityanath greeted everyone on the holy bathing festival.
"Heartiest greetings to all the revered saints, religious leaders, Kalpavasis and devotees who have come for the holy bath at the sacred Triveni in Maha Kumbh-2025, Prayagraj. May everyone's life be filled with happiness, prosperity and good fortune by the grace of Lord Shri Hari. May Maa Ganga, Maa Yamuna and Maa Saraswati fulfill everyone's wishes," he said in a post on X.
According to officials, the fair area was declared a 'no vehicle zone' from 4 am on Tuesday, while the entire city became a no-vehicle zone from 5 pm onwards, with an exemption for emergency and essential services.
To avoid traffic chaos, designated parking lots have been marked for public and private vehicles.
Prayagraj ADG Bhanu Bhaskar said special police forces have been deployed at all places where crowd management becomes challenging.
The special traffic plan will remain in force till the completion of the ritual to ensure safe evacuation of devotees from the fair area in case of any emergency, the officials said.
Bhaskar said real time data is being collected from toll plazas and officials of neighbouring districts so that the number of vehicles coming and the routes can be monitored and regulated.
Pilgrims said the arrangements at the Maha Kumbh were good.
Srinivas, who came from Andhra Pradesh to take a dip, said, "It feels good. The UP government has made good arrangements. Many thanks to Yogi Adityanath and PM Narendra Modi." Another devotee, Gayatri, said, "I am very happy to be here on this auspicious occasion. The UP government has created a good atmosphere here. Being a Hindu, this is the first time I have really felt like an Indian. People have shown their religiousness and unity has been promoted." The state transport department has arranged 1,200 additional shuttle buses, which will be available for the devotees every 10 minutes, the officials said.
The Maha Kumbh will conclude on February 26 with the final 'Amrit Snan' on the occasion of Mahashivratri.
A stampede during the Manui Amavasya 'Amirt Snan' on January 29 had left 30 dead and 60 injured, according to the UP government.
(This story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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