Sagar Island: Around 85 lakh pilgrims had come to the Gangasagar Mela till 3 pm on Wednesday to take the holy dip at the confluence of the Ganga and the Bay of Bengal and to offer prayers at the Kapil Muni Temple, state Power and Housing minister Aroop Biswas said, as the administration put crowd-control measures in place amid a steady surge of devotees.
The auspicious Shahi Snan window on Makar Sankranti began at 1.19 pm on Wednesday and will continue till 1.19 pm on Thursday. Biswas said lakhs more pilgrims were still on their way to Sagar Island, describing the scene at the confluence as a “sea of people”, with devotees arriving since early morning.
Biswas said arrangements had been made for both the holy dip and visiting at the Kapil Muni Temple, but maintaining order was crucial as “many are trying to rush into the temple while lakhs are standing in queues. We request cooperation”.
Biswas said pilgrims had arrived from across India as well as from countries including France, Ukraine, Russia, the UK and Nepal.
To manage the surge, more than 15,000 police personnel were stationed across the mela area, supported by 54 watch towers, river patrol teams, foot patrols, anti-crime units, missing person squads and coordination teams working round the clock. Crowd movement was regulated through drop gates and barricades.
Over 1,200 CCTV cameras with real-time crowd analysis software were installed at key locations, along with surveillance through 20 specialised drones. Civil Defence volunteers, quick response teams, divers, the NDRF and the Coast Guard maintained a 24-hour vigil along the beach and bathing ghats, while more than 3,000 personnel were deployed for continuous cleaning of the shoreline.
Amid the massive congregation, two pilgrims reportedly died after falling ill at the mela ground. One of them was identified as Mithu Mandal (51), a resident of Assam, who died of cardiac arrest. Five critically ill pilgrims were airlifted to hospitals in Kolkata for advanced treatment. A pilgrim was rescued from deep waters by an Indian Navy diving team and handed over to the police.