Prayagraj: Devotees resumed holy dip at the Sangam after a brief pause after at least 39 people were killed and many more were injured in a catastrophic stampede during the Maha Kumbh Mela, here today. The occurrence happened early on Mauni Amavasya, a day that is believed to be very auspicious and draws millions of pilgrims to bathe at the confluence (Sangam) of the Yamuna, Ganges, and Saraswati rivers.
Although the precise reason for the stampede is still being investigated, preliminary reports indicate that the large number of people and insufficient crowd control measures were major contributing factors.
Reports suggested that around 1:00 AM, a barrier broke, causing a sudden surge of devotees toward the riverbanks, which sparked the stampede. The pilgrims became frightened and chaotic as a result of this sudden movement. According to some accounts, pilgrims trying to scale barricades erected for a procession of holy men made the situation worse, while some eyewitness accounts suggested that the closing of several ways to the river added to the crowding.
Witnesses recounted horrific scenes in which people were crushed and killed under the chaos, including women and the elderly. Numerous patients, whose injuries ranged from fractures to heart problems, were sent to nearby hospitals.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi promised that the local administration would do everything possible to support those impacted. Yogi Adityanath, the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, also expressed his condolences and ordered conducting a comprehensive probe into the incident.
Given the scale of the tragedy, at first, the customary bathing practices were postponed because of crowds and safety concerns. Several Akhadas (religious orders) chose to forego taking part in the day’s planned Amrit Snan (holy bath), citing safety concerns.
This was the first time that the Saints, Naga Sannyasis, and Akhadas broke the historic tradition of performing their first dip at the Sangam. Given the circumstances, they decided to forego their Brahma Muhurat Amrit Snan and allowed the devotees to take the first dip.
Security was substantially increased with more officers stationed at strategic points and new checkpoints and barricades erected to control mobility. Thereafter, the processions of the akhadas, led by Mahant Ravindra Puri, president of the Akhil Bhartiya Akhada Parishad, proceeded towards the Sangam for the holy dip around 2:30 PM, and the akhadas (religious orders) started performing their ‘Amrit Snan‘ (holy bath) again. Mahant Ravindra Puri mentioned that by unanimous decision, all Akhadas agreed to first allow devotees to take the Amrit Snan considering the situation. Once the situation normalized, the Akhadas followed their grand Amrit Snan tradition symbolically.
The Shankaracharyas of three Peeths – Shringeripeeth, Dwarka and Jyotishpeeth – too, together took a dip in the Triveni Sangam after worshipping Triveni in the auspicious Choghadiya in the mid-day Abhijit Muhurta, today. While bathing in Triveni Sangam, all three Shankaracharyas said in unison “Today is the best festival of Indian culture, and we are feeling spiritual bliss by bathing in Triveni Sangam“.
While the stampede serves as a reminder of how crucial it is to have efficient crowd management and safety protocols in place at major religious gatherings, even with meticulous planning, crowd control is a major concern due to the festival’s immense size. A stampede in 1954 that killed over 800 people and another in 2013 that killed 36 people are examples of instances where such tragedies have happened before.
This time, to handle the expected influx of almost 400 million pilgrims over the course of the 45-day Maha Kumbh Mela 2025 in Prayagraj, the government of Uttar Pradesh had set aside ₹7,500 crore, or roughly $915 million, for the development of infrastructure, preservation of the environment, and other vital services. This was a a significant increase in spending for the 2025 festival given the budget for the 2019 Kumbh Mela, for example, was ₹4,200 crore. More than 25,000 police officers including Special Commandos and Anti-Terror Squads have been deployed this time from the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF), Rapid Action Force (RAF), and Uttar Pradesh Police.
To avoid any unfortunate events like today’s, special forces were positioned at key sites, such as temples, ghats, and entry points, and for real-time monitoring, dozens of drones and more than 1,500 high-resolution CCTV cameras were also installed with special control room set up to evaluate real-time video and plan reactions.
However, after the tragedy struck the Maha Kumbh, many pilgrims as well as Shankaracharya of Jyotishpeeth Avimukteshwarand Saraswati criticised the VIP culture and accused the administration of paying all their attention to the VIPs at the cost of the millions of pilgrims attending the Kumbh Mela, one of the biggest religious events in the world, which takes place every 12 years.
– global bihari bureau
