At least 15 devotees were feared dead and more than 50 were injured at Sangam in the early hours of Wednesday amid the ongoing Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj. The incident took place after a large number of pilgrims gathered for a holy bath on Mauni Amavasya.
The injured were rushed to the central hospital established in the Mela area. Relatives of the injured, a few senior administrative and police officials, reached the spot.Officials haven’t issued an update on the number of casualties, but people in knowledge of developments told on condition of anonymity that at least 15 bodies have been brought to hospitals.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and home minister Amit Shah called up Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath to take stock of the situation. “Prime Minister Modi spoke to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath about the situation at the Kumbh Mela, reviewed the developments, and called for immediate support measures,” an official said.
A high-level meeting is underway at the Chief Minister’s residence in Lucknow regarding the Maha Kumbh incident. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is personally reviewing the situation along with senior officials, including DGP Prashant Kumar, ADG (Law & Order) Amitabh Yash, and Principal Secretary (Home) Sanjay Prasad.
Officer on Special Duty for the Mela Akanksha Rana 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”.
According to an official, “The barricading system was not very effective in crowd management. It led to the crowds walking longer distances and many were agitated over the last many days. There were choke points which were created because of these diversions”.
During the Shahi Snan as well, there was some chaos and the mounted police had to wade into the waters to manage the crowds taking a dip along with the sadhus. Today, on second ‘Amrit Snan’ on the auspicious occasion of Mauni Amavasya, more than 10 crore devotees were expected to take a bath in the Mahakumbh.
However, the stampede broke out at the Sangam and several are said to be injured. Mauni Amavasya or Maghi Amavasya, holds immense spiritual importance as millions of devotees converge at the Triveni Sangam for a holy dip. It is believed that on this day, nectar (amrit) descends from the heavens, enhancing the spiritual potency of the waters.
In view of the incident, the Akharas have 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.
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.