Prayagraj: Thirty people died, and 60 suffered injuries during an early Wednesday tragedy at Prayagraj’s Maha Kumbh, which produced a deadly stampede. Thousands of worshippers pushed through security fences at Triveni Sangam, aiming to bathe in spiritual waters on Mauni Amavasya during the second Shahi Snan.
At 2 am, dense crowds assembled at the confluence point of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers, where Sangam is located. A massive stampede erupted. Police documentation reveals that after the ghat barriers shattered, people accidentally walked over sleeping devotees on the ground.
Authorities established barriers around the Sangam in addition to surrounding various sections. The akhada and ghat surrounding regions saw their barricades destroyed. The underwater crowd surge from broken barricades caused devotees to trample their rivals, sleeping for Brahma muhurta (auspicious time) lying on the ghats. Mahakumbh Police DIG Vaibhav Krishna stated on Wednesday evening that sleeping individuals were crushed to death when the crowd pressed forward suddenly.
Authorities have found the identities of 25 deceased victims, and the identification process for five additional fatalities persists.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath initiated a Judicial investigation into the stampede incident and promised Rs 25 lakh to each of the deceased victims’ families. He confirmed that everything was under control at the event while requesting citizens to avoid sharing misinformation about the Maha Kumbh.
Kumbh currently accommodates massive numbers of attendees. Kumbh presently holds 8 to 10 crore worshippers throughout its area. Practitioners attended the holy Sangam yesterday to take their sacred dips in numbers crossing six crores. Emergency services responded to the incident report, which took place during the 1 am to 2 am. The religious leaders will begin the sacred ritual of Amrit Snan after the gathering size decreases, he announced during the press event.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his profound sympathy on Twitter by describing the incident as “extremely sad.” The accident at Prayagraj Maha Kumbh brings us profound sorrow. The Prime Minister also expressed his deepest sympathies to devotees whose loved ones were lost in this.
He mentioned that the bathing activity was temporarily stopped but continued for some time afterwards. The bathing procedures stopped for an undisclosed period until the pilgrims resumed their ritual bathing sessions for several hours afterwards. He delivered condolences to affected families once again at the Delhi rally.
In his tweet, Adityanath requested that devotees take holy dips at nearby Ganges ghats while avoiding the Sangam Nose area, where the deadly stampede took place. He informed people about multiple ghats built for holy bathing and requested that they obey administrative instructions by working with authorities.
Mauni Amavasya devotees believe it is their best opportunity to perform a sacred bath in the Ganga River. No-vehicular zones and area restrictions formed strict crowd control enforcement for Mauni Amavasya.
The Maha Kumbh festival started on January 13 and will end its twelve-year period on February 26. According to projections from the Uttar Pradesh government, Indian state hosts expect about 40 crore pilgrims to visit the planet’s south for a vast spiritual gathering event.