AI-enabled cameras, drones deployed in Prayagraj to ensure safety during Basant Panchami Snan

Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 23 (ANI): As festive fervour pervades the regions that celebrate Basant Panchami, Prayagraj Additional Police Commissioner Ajay Pal Sharma announced that high-tech surveillance, including AI-enabled cameras and drones, has been deployed to monitor the massive crowds expected for the holy dip on the occasion. The specialised monitoring system aims to manage the movement of lakhs of pilgrims arriving at the Triveni Sangam for the Magh Mela 2026.
Ahead of the preparations for the Basant Panchami Snan, Ajay Pal Sharma said on Thursday, "January 23 is the festival of Basant Panchami. Lakhs of devotees are expected to arrive here. For this, the inter-district diversion plan has been implemented from 12 midnight tonight. Heavy vehicles have been diverted, and strict monitoring is being maintained. The entire fair area is covered through our AI cameras and drones, teams of ATS, STF and ANTF are present in view of the bathing at Triveni, water police personnel have been deployed at different ghats, the diversion plan has come into effect from 12 midnight tonight; it is being ensured that devotees take the holy dip under complete security."
On the occasion of Basant Panchami, devotees continue to arrive in large numbers at the Magh Mela 2026 held in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. Magh Mela is a 45-day annual Hindu pilgrimage that started on January 3 and will go on till February 15 2026, centring around the holy Triveni Sangam (Ganga, Yamuna, Saraswati). As a significant event, it involves holy dips, beginning on Paush Purnima and ending on Mahashivaratri, featuring massive congregations.
On the other hand, in Madhya Pradesh, the Supreme Court on Thursday ordered an interim arrangement at the disputed Bhojshala-Kamal Maula complex in Dhar, to allow both Hindu and Muslim communities to perform their religious practices on Basant Panchami, which happens to fall on a Friday - coinciding with Jumuah (special midday prayer).
A bench led by the Chief Justice of India, Surya Kant, passed the order while hearing a plea seeking a ban on offering namaz from sunrise to sunset on Basant Panchami to facilitate Hindu rituals at the site. The Court directed the District administration in Dhar to provide separate and exclusive spaces for both communities to carry out their respective rituals. (ANI)