Select zones in the ghats in Nashik and Trimbakeshwar, where the Kumbh Mela is currently going on, have been demarcated as "no-selfie” zones, states a report by The Indian Express.
The ban enforced by the local administration applies to specific days. The decision was taken following a “human behaviour study” conducted by over 100 volunteers which warned that selfies could lead to stampedes, specially during “Shahi Snan”.
Since the beggining of the Kumbh Mela this year, around 22 lakh pilgrims are reported to have arrived in Nashik and six lakh in Trimbakeshwar, adds the report.
During the 2013 Kumbh Mela, at least 36 people were killed and several more injured in a stamepede which took place in the Allahabad train station. 30 million pilgrims had reportedly taken part in the Kumbh Mela festival in the town and thousands of people were present at the station at the time of the stampede. According to a Reuters report, a railway official said the "police had been using batons to control the crowd, triggering panic". However, "a state government official said a footbridge handrail collapsed, sending people slipping down the stairs and starting a stampede."