Prayagraj: Tragedy struck the Maha Kumbh early on Wednesday, as 30 devotees died and 60 others were injured in a stampede after barricades collapsed on the Sangam bank in Prayagraj, a senior police officer said here.
Deputy Inspector General of Police (Kumbh) Vaibhav Krishna said the incident took place between 1 am and 2 am when the barricades installed in the Akhara area gave way, leading to chaos among the people waiting for the ‘Brahma Muhurat’ for taking the holy dip.
The DIG said the barricades broke due to extreme pressure from the crowd on the other side. “Devotees, who were sleeping or waiting for the Brahma Muhurta on the other side of the barricades, were crushed by the crowd coming from the other side due to chaos,” he said.
Krishna said 90 injured people were rushed to the hospital with the help of ambulances by creating a green corridor but 30 of them died.
“So far 25 of the deceased have been identified and efforts are on to identify others. 36 devotees are being treated at the local medical college. Some of the deceased were from other states like four from Karnataka and one each from Assam and Gujarat,” he said.
The DIG also said that the list of the deceased will be shared later. “Some of the deceased have been taken by their family members. The administration has issued a helpline number 1920 on which devotees, whose family members are missing, can contact. At present the situation is normal,” he said.
Krishna said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath talked to the saints and Mahamandaleshwars
whi agreed to delay their Amrit Snan which was held later “safe and sound”.
The DIG clarified that no VIP protocol was followed on Wednesday due to the strict directives of the government.
“Similar provisions will be followed on Vasant Panchami,” he said.
Earlier, Adityanath briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the entire incident. Several rounds of the high level meetings were held at the CM’s residence to discuss urgent steps to tackle such incidents.
After the incident, Yogi had appealed to the people to offer prayers at the temple and take a bath near the ghats of the Ganga and cautioned them not to pay attention to rumours.
Briefing the media about the incident, the CM said the incident took place when the devotees tried to surge ahead to the Sangam Nose on the holy festival of Mauni Amavasya.
Yogi said the situation was completely under control and the bathing in Sangam is continuing uninterrupted and smoothly.
The CM said that strict action will be taken against those who spread rumours and negative information.
He said that there was a huge crowd of devotees in the Maha Kumbh. “About 8-10 crore devotees are present in Prayagraj today. About 5.5 crore devotees took the Maha Kumbh bath on Tuesday. There is a lot of pressure due to the devotees going to Sangam Nose. Some devotees were seriously injured while crossing the barricades on Akhara Marg between 1-2 o’clock at night. They have been immediately taken to the hospital,” he said.
Yogi said that the administration is continuously engaged at the local level to ensure the safe bathing of the devotees. “Prime Minister Modi has taken information from me about the devotees four times since this morning. BJP President JP Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Governor Anandiben Patel are also continuously taking information about the devotees since morning,” he said.
He said that the situation in Prayagraj is currently under control, but the crowd influx is very high. “I have also talked to the saints; they have very politely said that first the devotees will take a bath, and only after that will we go towards Sangam for bathing. All the Akharas agree to this,” he said.
It may be noted that around 10 crore people were expected to take a bath at Kumbh on Mauni Amavasya. According to official figures over 6.99 crore pilgrims have taken a holy dip at different ghats till 6 pm.
President Droupadi Murmu described the incident as “extremely sad” and expressed her condolences to the families of the injured devotees while praying for the quick recovery of the injured devotees.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in constant touch with the state government, condoled the loss of lives in the incident.
Taking to X, the PM wrote, “The local administration is engaged in helping the victims in every possible way”.
“I have spoken to Chief Minister Yogi ji in this regard and I am constantly in touch with the state government.”
The tragedy evoked strong reaction from the BJP’s political opponents. Congress President Mallikarjun Kharge alleged due to “half-baked arrangements, VIP movements, self-promotion and mismanagement.”
Rahul Gandhi has described the stampede incident at Prayagraj Maha Kumbh as “extremely sad” and asked the state government to “focus on better arrangements for common devotees rather than VIPs”.
Akhilesh Yadav has 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.
He called on the Uttar Pradesh government to take immediate action to support the injured and prevent further chaos.
UNI
