AI Surveillance to Prevent Future Tragedies at Maha Kumbh After Stampede

AI Surveillance to Prevent Future Tragedies: A unique application of Artificial Intelligence (AI)-based surveillance system at the Maha Kumbh, implemented for the first time by the Yogi Adityanath administration on a mammoth scale, would help avert congregation accidents in the years ahead and avoid repetition of a tragedy like this year, Mela authorities said.

At least 30 people were killed and over 90 others were injured in a stampede on January 29 at the ongoing Maha Kumbh congregation at Prayagraj, which has already witnessed a footfall of record 60 crore pilgrims.

With the help of 2,750 CCTV cameras, including 250 AI-enabled devices, authorities are now able to closely monitor crowd movement across the 4,000-acre site. The AI system feeds data into the Integrated Control and Command Centre, providing real-time insights into crowd density, people flow, parking status, and crowd accumulation at key locations.

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“We will analyze the data of the Mela provided by the AI system once the congregation gets over. We will hopefully be able to revise those thresholds for more effective organization of events of such a scale next time onwards and be better equipped to avert a repetition of a tragedy like this time,” said Amit Kumar, SP and in-charge of ICCC.

Officials said that four units of the ICCC, two of which are temporary set-ups at the Mela premises, operated as the central hub for traffic management, crowd control, security and emergency response, sanitation, healthcare, and public communication during the Kumbh Mela.

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A sneak peek into the command center headquarters revealed multiple teams of policemen, comprising nearly 400 personnel, monitoring the CCTV feed from all 25 sectors of the giant mela ground.

The applications of the SOPs are now being done more carefully. The frequency of announcements through our public address system has now been increased. Our announcement pitch is now stronger and more appealing than before, Kumar said.

The 2025 edition of the Maha Kumbh will officially draw to a close on February 26 following the holy dip at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers on the auspicious hours of Maha Shivratri.

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