Overview
Pune, June 2025. The Ashadi Wari draws lakhs of devotees, walking with faith and moving as one. Behind the procession is a large task for the police: the safety, movement and well-being of every pilgrim. This year, Stellarview and its partner Wizpro worked with Pune Police to support that task with technology.
AI people counting and ATCC cameras gave the police live counts of pilgrims and vehicles at the procession's entry and exit points. On the peak day, 20 June 2025, the system counted about 4.95 lakh warkaris (pilgrims) entering Pune.
"This year's Palkhi procession saw the use of artificial intelligence for planning, implementation and analysis. The technology-supported crowd regulation alongside strong police presence ensured seamless management."
Amitesh Kumar, Commissioner of Police, Pune City
Objectives
- Keep pilgrims safe with real-time crowd monitoring
- Prevent stampede situations
- Keep pedestrians and vehicles moving
- Give the police data to decide where to deploy personnel
Where the cameras were
The cameras were at Vishrantwadi and Khadki, where the two Palkhis enter Pune, and at the exit point the two Palkhis share. Each site had high-resolution cameras with on-camera AI processing.
What was deployed
- AI people counting cameras: count people who cross virtual lines, with entry and exit counted separately
- ATCC cameras (automatic traffic counting and classification): count vehicles and sort them into 18 vehicle types
- Live dashboard: entrances, exits, current occupancy, camera status and peak hour for each site
The dashboard
Pune Police watched each site on a live dashboard. It showed total entrances and exits with the change from the previous period, current occupancy, camera status, and an hourly chart of people crossing the virtual lines.
Result
| Date | Event | People on foot | Vehicles | People in vehicles | Total people |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 20 Jun 2025 | Sant Dnyaneshwar Palkhi, Pune entry | 2.70 to 2.80 lakh | 2,000 | ~16,000 | 2.86 to 2.96 lakh |
| 20 Jun 2025 | Sant Tukaram Palkhi, Pune entry | 2.00 lakh | 600 | ~5,000 | 2.05 lakh |
| 20 Jun 2025 | Total, Pune entry | 4.70 to 4.80 lakh | 2,600 | ~21,000 | 4.95 lakh |
| 22 Jun 2025 | Both Palkhis, exit | 2.60 to 2.65 lakh | 1,800 | ~14,000 | 2.80 lakh |
People in vehicles uses an average of 8 people per vehicle. This average comes from the vehicle mix counted on 20 June (see below).
| Site | Entrances | Exits | Peak hour |
|---|---|---|---|
| Vishrantwadi | 2,66,725 | 9,318 | 9:00 AM |
| Khadki | 1,97,235 | 9,078 | 2:00 PM |
Vehicle mix on 20 June
The ATCC cameras counted 2,600 vehicles on the peak day, from two-wheelers to trucks. Light commercial vehicles and trucks carried most of the pilgrims who came by road. Each vehicle type was given an approximate capacity, which gives about 21,000 people in vehicles and a weighted average of 8.08 people per vehicle.
| Vehicle type | Count | Approx. capacity | People |
|---|---|---|---|
| Two-wheeler | 973 | 2 | 1,946 |
| Car | 498 | 3 | 1,494 |
| Auto rickshaw | 197 | 4 | 788 |
| Mini LCV | 170 | 8 | 1,360 |
| Tractor | 11 | 10 | 110 |
| Minibus | 17 | 12 | 204 |
| LCV (Tata Ace) | 176 | 15 | 2,640 |
| LCV, 4 tyre | 119 | 20 | 2,380 |
| LCV, 6 tyre | 184 | 20 | 3,680 |
| Truck | 251 | 25 | 6,275 |
| Bus | 4 | 30 | 120 |
| Total | 2,600 | 20,997 |
Outcome
- No stampede incidents across the procession days
- Live crowd size at each entry and exit point, with peak hours identified as they happened
- Vehicle counts by type, so the police could spot congestion and plan routes
The data from 2025 also gives Pune Police a baseline for planning future Wari processions.
Read the Pune Wari 2025 case study, or see more city and enforcement case studies.
Share this story