India’s record on crowd safety during religious events is grim, and the stakes couldn’t be higher.
With an estimated 400 million pilgrims expected at the Kumbh Mela, organizers are turning to AI for help.
The gathering is a six-week Hindu festival known for its spiritual significance and has a tragic history of stampedes.
300 AI Installed Cameras
To prevent chaos, around 300 cameras and drones are feeding real-time data into an AI system capable of monitoring crowd density and flow across miles of festival grounds.
The system flags critical hotspots before they become disasters, allowing authorities to intervene.
“AI is helping us avoid reaching that critical mass in sensitive places,” Kumar explained.
“We want everyone to go back home happily after fulfilling their spiritual duties,” said Amit Kumar, the senior police officer leading the festival’s tech operations.
Past tragedies, like the 1954 stampede that killed over 400 or the 36 lives lost in 2013, weigh heavily on organizers
