Gangasagar Mela: Volunteers, administration reunite thousands of missing pilgrims

Sagar Island: Coordinated efforts by the administration and voluntary organisations led to the reunion of thousands of pilgrims who were separated from their families amid heavy crowd movement at the Gangasagar Mela.

State power and housing minister Aroop Biswas said 4,883 pilgrims had been reported missing till Wednesday, of whom 4,860 had already been reunited. He said the effort involved the police, district administration and voluntary organisations, with QR code wristbands issued to elderly pilgrims and children aiding identification and tracing.

Voluntary organisations have set up help desks, temporary shelters and announcement points across the mela area. Bajrang Parishad said it had reunited 766 pilgrims till 6.30 pm on Wednesday. Its convenor Manoj Chandgothia said volunteers were working round the clock. “Many pilgrims do not carry mobile phones. We keep them here, make announcements, contact their relatives through our phones and wait for them to arrive,” he said. Several cases of separation were reported during the day, including Renu Pandey from Allahabad, and Munki Devi from Bihar, who was assisted by volunteers after being separated from her relatives.

The West Bengal Radio Club (WBRC), a group of ham radio operators, is handling cases where routine announcements and identification methods fail.

The organisation also assisted a Russian woman who lost her belongings, including her

passport and visa, to pickpockets by contacting people from her region and helping initiate embassy procedures. Volunteers said such work often continues even after the mela ends, when stranded pilgrims are found on the island after crowds disperse.