As 'Shahi snan' concludes, 50 pc police force in Kumbh Mela to be withdrawn

With the completion of the 'Shahi snan' in the Haridwar Kumbh mela, 50 per cent of the police force deployed at the mela has been withdrawn, Uttarakhand's Director General of Police (DGP) informed.

"As the main part of Haridwar Kumbh including 'Shahi snan' has passed, 50 per cent of the total force deployed there has been withdrawn. The rest of the force will also be withdrawn in phases," Ashok Kumar told .

In light of the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, he informed that extensive COVID-19 testing of security personnel had been done.

Earlier on Thursday, the Uttarakhand Police had tweeted, "As planned, the police force in Kumbh Mela will be reduced by half as Baisakhi festival (peak day) has successfully concluded."

Around 14 lakh devotees took holy dip in the River Ganga at the Haridwar Mahakumbh on Wednesday on the occasion of Baisakhi Shahi Snan, which is the third royal bath in this Kumbh.

The first bath was held on March 11 on the occasion of Mahashivratri, while the second took place on April 12 and the third ended on April 14.

According to the schedule of major events, four 'Shahi Snan' and nine 'Ganga Snan' will take place at Haridwar this year. The snans are a part of the Kumbh Mela that is supposed to be held in Haridwar from April 1 to April 30 in order to limit the festival this year to 30 days due to the ongoing coronavirus pandemic.

Kumbh is held periodically at four different locations in India -- Nashik, Haridwar, Prayagraj and Ujjain. In normal circumstances, Kumbh continues for nearly four months but this year due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the duration of the congregation has been curtailed to one month.

( With inputs from ANI )