BK Singh
A stampede took place at the Sangam in Prayagraj, the Maha Kumbh venue, in the wee hours of Wednesday as seamless humanity headed for a holy dip in the Ganga on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya. According to reports 30 devotees succumbed to their injuries and dozens were injured. The injured were shifted to hospitals.
It all reportedly happened when a big crowd reached the barricading of an Akhara and tried to cross over resulting in the breakage of the barricade and the felling of some pilgrims.
Unfortunately, devotees stepped over the fallen pilgrims from behind instead of stopping, resulting in a melee that took the situation out of hand. By this time, the worst had happened.
The administration, police, and ambulances took full control of the horrifying situation and rushed the injured to various hospitals.
CM Yogi Aditya Nath himself took to the mike and apprised people about what had taken place and also told them not to panic as the situation was under control even though there was no end to seamless pilgrims still heading towards the several bathing ghats created for the easy bathing and facility.
The scene presented a sea of humanity that had converged for a dip. Security personnel in the area found them helpless given the massive crowd that stood before them and jostled to reach the waters.
It was probably this act of religious frenzy that caused people to disbalance and fall. The crowd behind stepped over those who had fallen resulting in the tragedy, sources said.
However, there was no official version available and neither there was any police officer to explain how only human heads managed to lurch forward in such massive numbers without being stopped. The tragedy had already taken place.
The increasing pressure from the crowds, at the Sangam for ‘Amrit Snan’, prompted authorities to send the people back.
Ambulances were rushed to the ghat and injured persons were taken to the central hospital inside the Mela ground for treatment. Officials said that several people were brought dead to the hospital.
The massive crowds thronging the ghats and the Triveni Sangam on Mauni Amavasya, the day of the ‘second Shahi snan’ at the Mahakumbh Mela, also reportedly made it difficult for the administration to manage and control them.
Announcements are being sounded from the public address system, asking devotees to vacate the ghats for others after taking their holy bath.
Though the number of injuries is yet to be confirmed, several people have returned without taking a bath on this auspicious day due to the stampede.
Though in expectation of drawing around 10 crore devotees on this day, the Uttar Pradesh government has already stepped up the security and crowd-management systems in the region.
The government issued an advisory asking all devotees to treat the ghats as equal to the Sangam and avoid any rush to the Sangam nose.
In the past 17 days, the Mahakumbh Mela 2025 has already witnessed over 15 crore pilgrims taking a holy dip in the Sangam and ghats. On Tuesday alone, more than 4.8 crore devotees took the scan, a tally higher than that of Amrit Snan on Makar Sankranti, which was 3.5 crore, the UP government said.
In the stepped-up security measures, personnel have been deployed at every nook and corner, along with AI-powered CCTV cameras and drones keeping an eye on the Mela ground.
In addition, the Prayagraj authorities have already declared the Mela area as a no-vehicle zone for the next few days, adding that they have made a fervent appeal to residents to avoid using any four-wheelers and opt for two-wheelers only if transporting senior citizens to the Sangam.
Notably, the Amrit Snan (formerly known as Shahi Snan), is the grandest and most sacred ritual of the Mahakumbh Mela, which draws millions of pilgrims from across the world.
Mauni Amavasya is considered the most auspicious date among all the special bathing dates as it is believed that on this day, the water of the holy rivers turns into ‘Amrit’.
For the second ‘Amrit Snan’, the UP government also deployed over 1,000 medical professionals in the Mahakumbh area and set up modern medical facilities and provisions for minor to major surgeries.
In addition, 300 specialist doctors have also been posted at a super-specialty hospital in Mahakumbh Nagar to handle any emergency.
The Mela administration and police authorities had been boasting of having made foolproof arrangements ever since the start of the first bating day of Push Purnima on January 13, the arrangements by the Yogi government were definitely tight but then something went wrong.
Looking at the Chocoblok roads leading towards Sangam, tea vendors, shop owners, and older residents living in town for decades had started murmuring about the possibility of some kind of mishap.
A shop near Indian Press crossing said this road had been full of pilgrims for the past four nights.
There was never an occasion when the crowd had thinned instead more were getting added as they paced up to catch up with others.
There were occasions when security personnel looking at the gigantic crowd rushing towards the Sangam were themselves overwhelmed by the religious fervor that the devotees carried.
Devotees who would not walk a few kilometers back home walked like long-distance walkers with no sign of fatigue on their faces.
This is the miracle of faith which cannot be described in words. In their hearts they had Shiva, some chanted Jai Shee Raam, some Ganga Maiya ki Jai and some chanted Jai Hanuman. They were not carrying any navigation tool…the crowd ahead was their Google map, they knew their destination..they were unstoppable.
The Mahakumbh Mela 2025, held after 12 years, kicked off on January 13 and will conclude on Maha Shivaratri on February 26.
By the evening of January 28 nearly 3.5 crore people had washed sin but nearly ten crore pilgrims were still inside the gigantic peripheri of the Mahakumbh.
As per the report vehicles carrying loads of pilgrims were still heading towards the Prayagraj district which is witnessing the greatest-ever gathering of faith for a holy dip. However, reports also say that pilgrim-packed buses and other vehicles were being forced to stop to avoid further crowding.
On his part, CM Yogi Aditya Nath kept announcing to the pilgrims not to panic and not to pay attention to rumors as such incidents often kick off a melee.
The Mauni Amavasya bathing is considered the holiest of the holy auspicious bathing days as per Hindu mythological and scriptures because, even Hindu gods and goddesses, the souls of the dead, and even demons descend on the sandy bank of the Sangam on Mauni Amavasya in the month of Magh.