During the ongoing Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, on Wednesday morning, a stampede-like situation occurred not too far from the Sangam, resulting in the multiple casualties and injuries.
On Mauni Amavasya, crores of people gathered at the sacred ghats to take a dip, which is when the incident happened.
As a measure of the size of the assembly, up to 22 crore people have already taken a holy bath at Sangam as part of the Maha Kumbh, which started on January 13 and will end on February 26. On Tuesday alone, an estimated 4 crore people are thought to have taken a dip.
What was the incident?
A stampede-like situation happened in the Kumbh area when devotees rush towards the Triveni Sangam, the meeting point of the Ganga, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati rivers, at around 2 A.M., Unaware that many people had been sleeping there overnight to secure a prime spot for the Mahurat snan, scheduled for 3 A.M.
Eyewitnesses said barricades were smashed close to pillar number 157 as a result of the abrupt surge, which caused panic. Rekha Devi from Bihar stated, “It all happened in moments. Whoever fell down could not get up. People were running, but some got trampled. It was terrifying”.
Officials’ response
According to UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, the incident happened in the wee hours on Wednesday as a large crowd of devotees tried to cross barricades and sustained injuries. He said this morning, “The incident happened between 1am and 2am. There were barricades that devotees tried to cross and got injured. Our entire administration is present at the scene. Some people have been seriously injured while trying to cross the barricades”.
The number of fatalities and injuries has not yet been confirmed by the state administration. However, according to media accounts, at least 30 people were hurt and taken to hospitals right away.
Rescue efforts were started quickly, and the injured were sent to hospitals. Devotees were advised to bathe in other ghats and security measures were tightened to stop more accidents.
Additionally, the administration cautioned followers against believing rumors and suggested that they dip in any ghat rather than hurrying to the Triveni ghat.
‘No stampede at Maha Kumbh’
Meanwhile, SSP Kumbh Mela Rajesh Dwivedi refuted reports of a stampede and stated that crowding caused injuries to certain devotees. He told to the news agency ANI, “There was no stampede. It was just overcrowding due to which some devotees got injured. The situation is completely under control. No kind of rumours must be paid heed to… Amrit Snan will soon begin… All preparations for Amrit Snan have been made… Many ghats have been developed and people are easily taking a dip in those ghats… I don’t have numbers on casualties or injuries”.
PM Modi, President Murmu express grief
Prime Minister Narendra Modi took to his X handle and expressed grief over the incident. He stated, “The accident that happened in Prayagraj Maha Kumbh is extremely sad. My deepest condolences to the devotees who have lost their loved ones in this. Along with this, I wish for the speedy recovery of all the injured. The local administration is engaged in helping the victims in every possible way. In this regard, I have spoken to Chief Minister Yogi ji and I am constantly in touch with the state government”.
President Droupadi Murmu also expressed sorrow at the stampede incident at Maha Kumbh. She wrote on X, “The stampede incident at Prayagraj Maha Kumbh is extremely sad. I express my condolences to the families of the injured devotees and pray to God that all the injured devotees recover soon”.
As a result of the occurrence, Akharas first decided to cancel their customary “Amrit Snan,” which they perform on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya. But as things became more normal, the Akharas later moved forward with the Amrit Snan under strict security. Hindus believe that the Sangam is the holiest, and that swimming in it during Maha Kumbh, especially on specific bathing occasions like Mauni Amavasya, cleanses sins and grants ‘moksha’, or salvation.
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