No VIP culture at Mahakumbh, all will have to walk 1 km on normal days: Prashant Kumar, U.P. DGP

The 4000-hectare Mahakumbh area, including 12 kilometres of ghats, will be manned by more than 50,000 policemen. Over 2700 CCTV cameras, many of them with AI capabilities, along with tethered drones will keep vigil during mega event. Steps are also being taken to curb cyber crime, says state police chief.

The Uttar Pradesh government is gearing up for the biggest human congregation on earth-- the Mahakumbh 2025. Several state agencies, including one of the largest police forces in the world – the Uttar Pradesh police – are gearing up to provide a safe and incident-free event that will start on January 13 with the Paush Poornima Snan. The Mahakumbh is deeply rooted in Hindu mythology and stands as the world’s largest collective act of faith.

No VIP culture at Mahakumbh, all will have to walk 1 km on normal days: Prashant Kumar, U.P. DGP

In an exclusive conversation, HT spoke to Uttar Pradesh director general of police (DGP) Prashant Kumar about the state police preparedness for the event. Besides giving details of force deployment and other measures for crowd management, Kumar said no VIP will be allowed to enter the Mahakumbh area on four-wheelers. Excerpts:

Q: How are the Uttar Pradesh Police addressing potential cyber security threats during the Mahakumbh, particularly in protecting critical systems and safeguarding the data of millions of devotees?

A In cyber security measures, apart from opening a cyber police station in the Mahakumbh area for the first time, the cyber cell of the Prayagraj Police Commissionerate is fully devoted to curbing crimes related to the event. Apart from this, the cyber threats which we envisage are being monitored by the cyber wing of the state police under additional director general (ADG), Cyber Crime, Binod Kumar Singh as well as Special Task Force (STF). We have also roped in the national agencies like CERT-IN. The Indian Computer Emergency Response Team is an office within the ministry of electronics and information technology of the government of India and is the nodal agency to deal with cyber security incidents, and I4C, the Indian Cyber Crime Coordination Centre is a government initiative to deal with cybercrime in India, in a coordinated and effective manner. It is affiliated to the ministry of home affairs, Government of India, for cyber patrolling and analyzing cyber security network.

Q: How will aerial surveillance be deployed? What systems are in place to detect and neutralise rogue drones or other aerial threats?

A: In aerial surveillance and counter drone strategies, apart from normal CCTV cameras, more than 2700 in number, we have got many tethered drones around the Mahakumbh region at strategic points. To counter rogue drones, we have got anti-drone teams posted in several areas of the event site.

Q: How are the police ensuring the safety of devotees in and around the water, and what rescue operations are in place?

A: We have a large contingent of ‘Jal Police’ with special officers as well as naval commandos for river route safety. A number of motorboats, 12 kilometres of deep-water barricading, river lines, jetties, underwater drones, sonar and specialist divers will also be deployed at the event. We are also getting robotic boys to help people who are in distress in mid-river. NDRF and SDRF teams have been deployed for drowning and boat capsize-related contingencies.

Q: What innovative measures are being taken to manage and monitor the movement of millions of devotees and prevent overcrowding or stampedes?

A: As many as 2700 CCTV cameras are operating in the city and the Mahakumbh area. Many of these have Artificial Intelligence (AI) capabilities and parameters have been fed in them to give alerts regarding crowd density, crowd movement, crowd flow, barricade jumping, fire and smoke alerts. It also includes automatic number plate recognition capabilities so that we can manage parking as well as estimate the number of vehicles entering into the city and the Mahakumbh area.

There is a state-of-the-art integrated command and control centre which has four wings -- three in the Mahakumbh area and one in Prayagraj city -- to keep round the clock watch on crowd management. There are several diversion schemes for foot pilgrims in case of any emergency.

The 4000-hectare Mahakumbh area, including 12 kilometres of ghats, will be manned by more than 50,000 policemen. They include men from specialised state agencies like ATS, STF, PAC and central agencies like NSG, CAPF, etc.

Moreover, we have 10 Digital Lost and Found Centres, which will assist in finding the lost people mainly kids, elderly and women, as well as giving them care and rest for the period till they are reunited with their families. The CCTV cameras and the police stations and outposts of Mahakumbh area will be assisting the lost and found cases. We are also preparing a network for lost mobiles scenarios.

Q: What contingency plans are in place in case of emergencies, such as natural disasters or stampedes? How will the police and other agencies respond to such situations?

A: At least 54 Standard Operating Procedures (SOPs) have been drafted in case of emergencies of several kinds such as fire, stampedes, drowning, CBRN (Chemical Biological Radiological and Nuclear) accidents/attacks etc. which will be operated from the ICCC to ensure prompt response. Agencies like NDMA, NDRF, SDMA and SDRF have imparted specialised training to the police force.

Q: What specific arrangements are being made for crowd management?

A: Movement of vehicles and pilgrims on foot from seven routes to the Mahakumbh area and nine railway stations of Prayagraj, as well as air passengers via airport, has been charted ensuring different paths for each direction. Data analytic techniques are being deployed to study the crowd density and crowd flow. Diversion plans and contingency schemes have been devised for easy movement of traffic and pilgrims as well as to avoid overcrowding.

Q: What strategy has been prepared to counter VIP culture?

A: No VIPs will be allowed to enter the Mahakumbh area on four-wheelers. Everybody would have to walk for over one kilometre on normal days but must walk for around three kilometres on important dates -- ‘Shahi Snans’. Arrangements have been made for parking of more than five lakh vehicles in around 102 parking places.

Q Can you tell us about the coordination and collaboration between the Uttar Pradesh Police and other agencies, such as NTRO, IB, NDRF, in preparing for the Mahakumbh?

A: Several meetings at the highest level of the central and state government have been held. All central agencies, which have a bearing on the security of Mahakumbh Mela- 2025, have been brought on board. These specialised agencies will contribute by way of their expertise in the field of intelligence, anti-terrorism, disaster management and cyber security.

Q: How is the police department working with other government agencies to ensure that the necessary infrastructure, such as roads, bridges, and public facilities, is in place to support the massive influx of devotees?

A: Regular meetings are held at the highest level of the state administration and the police department. Feedback is taken on the progress of each infrastructure project, ensuring that all the major works are finalised on time.