Prayagraj: A day after 30 people died in a deadly stampede in Maha Kumbh, a large number of devotees continued to arrive at the ongoing religious event considered to be the largest human gathering in the world in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj on Thursday, marking the significant and unwavering devotion among the pilgrims.
The city was covered in dense fog on Thursday morning, but that did not deter the pilgrims from arriving for the holy dip. The India Meteorological Department has predicted foggy conditions in Prayagraj till January 31.
"Dense to very Dense Fog Conditions very likely to continue to prevail during night/early morning hours in isolated pockets of Uttar Pradesh till 31st January," the IMD said on X. As per the weather department, the minimum temperature will vary between 10-13 degrees Celsius.
#WATCH | Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh: Devotees continue to arrive at the ghats in Maha Kumbh Mela Kshetra to take a holy dip. pic.twitter.com/Fdtb5KPhs0
— ANI (@ANI) January 30, 2025
Deadly stampede
As many as 30 devotees died and 60 others were injured in a stampede that occurred during the intervening night of Tuesday and Wednesday at the Sangam area of the Maha Kumbh.
Millions of pilgrims jostled for space to take a holy dip on one of the most auspicious days of Mauni Amavasya. Several hours after the incident took place between 1-2 am, Maha Kumbh DIG Vaibhav Krishna on Wednesday evening gave the details of the casualties at a press conference.
"The incident took place due to the pressure of the crowd. The crowd broke barricades and jumped to the other side, crushing those waiting there. Over 90 injured were rushed to the hospital, of whom 30 died," he said. The officer said 25 of the deceased have been identified. Four of them are from Karnataka and one each from Assam and Gujarat. Among those injured, 36 are undergoing treatment at the hospital and the rest have been sent with their families.
Over seven and half crore devotees took a dip Wednesday, officials said.
Judicial Commission to probe
On Wednesday night, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced a three-member judicial commission, comprising Justice Harsh Kumar, former DG VK Gupta and retd IAS VK Singh to look into the reasons behind the stampede. He also announced an ex gratia of Rs 25 lakh each for the kin of the deceased.
"It is important to get to the bottom of the whole episode on how such a tragedy occurred," a visibly-emotional Adityanath said, adding that the chief secretary and DGP would visit the Maha Kumbh on Thursday for an in-depth probe into the tragic incident.
DIG Krishna said barricades have been placed in the mela and akhara areas for lane management but they gave way under the pressure of the jostling. As the barricades broke, people fell on those sitting and waiting for taking the holy dip during the 'brahm muhurt' (early morning time considered auspicious to perform certain activities), he said.
Many ordinary people, including women and children, fell down and were crushed. The officer said the government has issued strict directives there will be no VIP protocol in the mela now onwards.
Sudden surge of pilgrims
According to eyewitness accounts, one of the reasons for the tragedy was the sudden surge of pilgrims at the Sangam - all driven by an obvious desire to take the holy dip at 3 am, the start of the auspicious hour.
After the stampede, Amrit snan, the traditional bathing ritual of akharas, was deferred but it resumed in the afternoon. The bathing for devotees, however, continued at the tightly-packed Sangam and other ghats along the Ganges which were less crowded.
Around 2 am, the blaring sirens of ambulances and police vehicles rushing to the Sangam pierced through the continuous chants of mantras and shlokas echoing from loudspeakers across the Kumbh Mela area. Those injured were taken to the central hospital set up in the Mela area. Relatives of many injured also reached there, as did some senior administrative and police officials.
Security personnel and rescue workers were seen carrying many of the injured on stretchers. People's belongings, including blankets and bags, lay strewn around.
The total footfall for the ongoing Magh Mela has now surpassed 199.4 million. Being held after 12 years, Maha Kumbh, which started on January 13, will continue till February 26. The remaining significant 'snan' dates are February 3 (Basant Panchami--Third Shahi Snan), February 12 (Maghi Purnima), and February 26 (Maha Shivaratri).
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