Security in Prayagraj area was beefed up on Sunday a day before the second shahi snan (royal bath).

Lakhs of devotees from across the country will take the holy dip on the Paush Purnima, the second auspicious bathing day of the Kumbh, on Monday.

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Heavy security was seen at the Prayagraj railway station and every major bus station, the gateways for the devotees to the Kumbh.

Personnel from the UP police department and central para-military forces were deployed in large numbers to guard the 3,200 hectares of land in the Sangam city, where the devotees gather for to take a dip in Sangam – the confluence of the rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati.

Reports say that at least 20 lakh devotees will take a bath on Monday. This will be the second shahi snan after the 15 January bath on Makar Sankranti when saints and devotees moved in elaborate processions amid chants of ‘Har Har Mahadev’ to the five-kilometre bathing ghat.

“Our main focus is to ensure absolutely a safe and secure Kumbh, and we will leave no stone unturned,” Uttar Pradesh Additional DG (Law and Order) Anand Kumar said.

Paush Purnima also marks the beginning of Kalpwas, the period of austerity.

After the Paush Purnima bath, there will be four more major bathing dates during the Kumbh. These are Mauni Amavasya (February 4), Basant Panchami (February 10), Maghi Purnima (February 19) and Mahashivratri (March 4).

As many as 40 fire stations have been set up in and around the venue and over 4,000 fire hydrants, 70 high-pressure water mist motorcycles and trolley-mounted high-pressure extinguishers are in place to tackle fire hazards.

A fire had destroyed many tents of the Digambar Akhada camp in Sector 13 of the Kumbh complex on 14 January after a cylinder in one of the tents exploded.

Read More: Fire in Kumbh Mela venue destroys tents, no one injured

No one was injured but the incident panicked many Hindu devotees.

Besides the fire security, a modern integrated command-and-control centre has been set up for 24-hour monitoring through 1,200 CCTV cameras.

UP DGP OP Singh had earlier said that the Kumbh region has been divided into nine zones and 20 sectors with the deployment of over 20,000 police personnel, 6,000 homeguards, 40 police stations, 58 outposts, 40 fire stations, 80 companies of central force and 20 companies of PAC.

(With inputs from agencies.)