After the stampede that broke out at the Maha Kumbh, the NSG commandos and trainee IPS officers immediately took charge to control the massive crowd of devotees. The crowd of devotees was cleared by forming a chain. The crowd was controlled through barricading. Within three hours, with the cooperation of everyone, the situation was completely brought under control.
In this atmosphere of fear and confusion, sadhus, sanyasis, devotees, police, and the administration faced the situation together and supported each other.
Several devotees lost their lives, and more than a hundred were injured.
NSG commandos took charge on the Sangam coast. The entry of common people was stopped in the Sangam Nose area. To prevent the crowd from increasing, devotees were also banned from coming to Prayagraj city. For this, the administration was put on alert in the districts bordering the city. To control the crowd and maintain law and order, additional police forces and paramilitary forces were deployed at the spot.
SSP, Maha Kumbh, Rajesh Dwivedi, said that barricading was done to control the crowd and prevent them from gathering at one place. The movement of people reaching all the ghats was restricted. Only those involved in essential services were allowed. This brought the crowd to a standstill. When the situation became normal, the barricading was removed, and the movement could resume.
Announcements were made through loudspeakers to keep people calm, not create a stampede, and cooperate with the administration. Additional exit routes were opened to evacuate people safely in case of an emergency.
After the stampede, the security of the Maha Kumbh was further enhanced. The direction of the crowd was changed using the human chain technique to control the crowd.
A team of trainee IPS officers was deployed on the ground to manage the crowd.
Additional medical camps were set up to provide immediate medical assistance to the injured. Ambulance services were increased, with 50 ambulances deployed at the spot.
Additional doctors and nurses were deployed in the hospital. Doctors discharged the injured after giving them first aid.
The nearest hospital to the location where the stampede took place at Sangam Nose is Sangam Hospital in Sector-4. This hospital has only 20 beds. The team of doctors remained alert. As soon as the number of injured increased, the doctors sent the injured to the Central Hospital, one and a half kilometres away from the spot, for better treatment.
The government instructed the DMs of all the districts to stop the devotees from coming to Prayagraj for some time. This also helped in controlling the stampede situation. Special trains were stopped wherever they were.