THIRTY people were killed and over sixty others injured in a pre-dawn stampede at the Sangam area of the Mahakumbh early on Wednesday as crores of pilgrims jostled for space to take a holy dip on the occasion of one of the most auspicious days of Mauni Amavasya. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Police Vaibhav Krishna told a press conference at the Mahakumbh Nagar in the evening that the stampede has left 30 dead and 60 others injured. “The incident took place between 1-2 am due to the pressure of crowd. The crowds broke barricades and jumped to the other side, crushing those waiting there. Over 90 injured were rushed to the hospital, out of whom 30 died,” the DIG said. The officer said 25 of the deceased have been identified. Among those injured, 36 are undergoing treatment at the hospital and the rest have been sent with their families.

 

Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his deepest condolences to the devotees who lost their family members in the stampede, describing the tragedy as extremely saddening. Karnataka Congress MLA Asif Sait said he has received information that four people from Belagavi city have lost their lives in the stampede. According to eyewitness accounts, one of the reasons for the tragedy was the sudden surge of pilgrims at the Sangam - all driven by an obvious desire to take the holy dip at 3 am, the start of the auspicious hour. Amrit snan, the traditional bathing ritual of akharas, was deferred after the stampede but resumed in the afternoon. Till 5 pm, nearly six crore devotees took a dip. Around 2 am, the blaring sirens of ambulances and police vehicles rushing to the Sangam pierced through the continuous chants of mantras and shlokas echoing from loudspeakers across the Kumbhmela area. Those injured were taken to the central hospital set up in the Mela area.

 

Relatives of many injured also reached there, as did some senior administrative and police officials. Security personnel and rescue workers were seen carrying many of the injured on stretchers. People’s belongings, including blankets and bags, lay strewn around. In a post on X around noon, Modi said, the local administration in Prayagraj is giving all possible help to the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured. Later addressing a poll rally in Delhi, he said, “We lost some good souls in the tragic incident at Kumbh and some people have also got hurt. I convey my condolences to the families of those who lost their lives and pray for the early recovery of those injured.” “I am in constant touch with the Uttar Pradesh Government. Due to ‘Mauni Amavasya’, crores of devotees have reached there. For sometime, the process of bathing had been halted, but now for several hours, the yatris are taking a bath. I once again convey my condolences to the families,” Modi said.

 

Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the incident took place between 1 am and 2 am when some devotees climbed over the barricades at Akhara marg. On the Amrit Snan by akharas deferred till afternoon, Adityanath said a consensus was reached with the akharas that they would take the holy dip only after the crowd pressure has decreased at the ghats. Officer on Special Duty for the Mela Akanksha Rana earlier said, “Some people have got injured and have been hospitalised after a barrier broke at the Sangam. We are yet to have the exact count of those injured”. Sarojini, a devotee from Karnataka said, “We came in a batch of 60 people in two buses, we were nine people in the group. Suddenly there was pushing in the crowd, and we got trapped. A lot of us fell down and the crowd went uncontrolled.”

 

“There was no chance for escape, there was pushing from all sides,” the woman told PTI Videos. A man from Chhattarpur in Madhya Pradesh said his mother was injured and hospitalised, while a middle-aged couple from Meghalaya walked away from the crowd, both of them sobbing and narrating to reporters their harrowing experience of getting caught up in the ruckus. Another woman at the hospital, whose child suffered injuries in the chaos, narrated her ordeal, claiming, “There was nowhere to go. Some people who pushed us were laughing while we begged them for kindness towards the children.” Around 2.30 pm, the procession of akharas resumed as it made its way on foot towards the Sangam for the snan. Helicopter showered flower petals on seers as they headed towards the Sangam. “All saints, seers and nagas took holy dip on the occasion. I congratulate Chief Minister (Yogi Adityanath) and the administration for making such arrangements,” said Mahant Ravindra Puri, head of the Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad, who led the procession. On the stampede, he said, “It’s a conspiracy by the Opposition. This must be investigated.”