Leaders across political parties express grief over loss of lives
MAHAKUMBH NAGAR, Jan 29: Shoes, slippers and clothes scattered at the site speak about the chaos that unfolded at the Sangam area of the Maha Kumbh early Wednesday. Devotees recounted the horrific incident saying people were pushing each other to take a dip at the auspicious time on Mauni Amavasya.
Several people were killed and many injured in the stampede which took place at around 2 am as crores of pilgrims jostled for space to take the holy dip.
Going by eyewitness accounts, one of the reasons for the tragedy was the sudden surge of pilgrims at the Samgam who had gathered at the Maha Kumbh from across the country – all driven by an obvious desire to take the holy dip at 3 am, the start of the auspicious hour.
“Many devotees had patiently waited for the auspicious hour. Several of them were sitting on the ground, and some were even lying down near the ghats. The bathing site was barricaded.
“Past midnight a sudden surge of devotees led to barricades coming apart, and in the melee many people who were sleeping or sitting on the ground were run over,” said Madhumita, a devotee from Assam who claimed to have witnessed the tragedy.
Badama Devi, an elderly woman from Bihar’s Begusarai, broke down while recounting the tragedy, saying she had come to the Maha Kumbh to take the dip at the propitious moment.
“We knew that this moment would not come again in our lifetime, and that is why we had travelled from so far and waited all this while to be able to take the bath in the Ganga at the auspicious moment,” Devi said.
“Scattered shoes, slippers, and clothes at the site speak about the chaos that unfolded,” said Sumiran, who was still in a state of shock.
He said that many people waited for long not just for the auspicious hour to take the dip but also to catch a glimpse of Naga sadhus.
Before the tragedy, a video of the Prayagraj Divisional Commissioner, Vijay Vishwas Pant urging devotees to take precautions has now gone viral.
In the video, Pant is seen advising the devotees against overcrowding the Maha Kumbh bathing area and avoiding lying down in the passage leading to the ghats.
In the video, Pant could be heard saying, “Get up, get up…take a bath. Many people are expected, and there’s a possibility of a stampede.”
He was seen requesting devotees to prioritize their safety, especially those who had arrived early, suggesting they should quickly vacate the area after the dip.
According to data released by the Mela administration, till 2 pm on Wednesday, more than five crore people, including 10 lakh ‘Kalpawasis’, took the holy dip in the Ganga and the Sangam. Since the start of the Mela, 19.94 crore devotees have taken a dip in the Ganga.
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CONDOLENCES POUR IN
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday offered his deepest condolences to the devotees who lost their family members in the stampede at the Maha Kumbh, describing the tragedy as extremely saddening.
In a post on X, he said the local administration in Prayagraj is giving all possible help to the victims and wished a speedy recovery to the injured.He said, “I have been speaking to Chief Minister Yogi ji and am in constant touch with the state government.”
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday expressed grief over several people being injured in a stampede-like situation at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj and underlined the need for enhanced surveillance at the event. ”The news of casualties of devotees in the mismanagement accident in Maha Kumbh is very sad,” Yadav said in a post on X.
The former chief minister called on the Uttar Pradesh government to take immediate action to support the injured and prevent further chaos.
CONG SLAMS CENTRE, YOGI GOVT
The Congress on Wednesday hit out at the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government over the “stampede-like” situation at the Sangam, demanding that the Maha Kumbh management be handed over to a better administrator than Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the movement of VVIPs there be stopped.
In view of the incident, the akharas called off their traditional ‘Amrit Snan’ for Mauni Amavasya, even as devotees in large numbers continued to take a dip at Sangam and other ghats in the Mela area.Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that the news of “many people losing their lives” and many people getting injured due to the stampede on the banks of the Tirthraj Sangam during the Maha Kumbh is extremely heartbreaking. (PTI)