Mahakumbh Stampede: A “stampede-like” situation broke out at the Sangam during the ongoing Maha Kumbh on Wednesday. Multiple causalties are feared as a massive crowd of pilgrims gathered for a holy bath on Mauni Amavasya, officials confirmed. The stampede occurred near poll no. 90 to 118 in the Mahakumbh Nagar area. Accoeding to Zee news TV, rescue team and ambulance rushed to the accident site within five minutes and all injured are recieving treatment in nearby hospital. No official number of affected people have been declared yet.
Officer on Special Duty for the Mela, Akanksha Rana, stated, “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.” Rana further added, “Some people have been injured and are receiving treatment. The situation is not serious,” she told reporters.
#WATCH | #Mahakumbh | Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh: On the reports of a stampede at the Maha Kumbh, Special Executive Officer Akanksha Rana says, “On the Sangam routes, a stampede-like situation arose after some barriers broke. Some people have been injured. They are under treatment.… pic.twitter.com/SgLRVXMlgf
— ANI (@ANI) January 28, 2025
The stampede-like situation erupted early Wednesday around 2.00 am in the morning when a massive crowd atarted gathering at the Sangam and various ghats spanning a 12-km stretch of riverbanks for the Maha Kumbh.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday to assess the situation at the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela. During the conversation, PM reviewed the developments around stampede and stressed the need for immediate support measures to ensure the safety and well-being of pilgrims.
The Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad has decided to cancel the Amrit Snan on Mauni Amavasya following a stampede-like situation at the Maha Kumbh, its president Mahant Ravindra Puri announced on Wednesday.
“You would have seen what happened in the morning, and that’s why we made this decision,” Puri told PTI Videos. He added that the saints and seers were prepared for the sacred dip when they were informed about the incident, prompting the cancellation.
An eyewiness described the horror, Sarojini from Karnataka told PTI, “Suddenly there was pushing in the crowd, and we got trapped. A lot of us fell down and the crowd went uncontrolled.” She was crying outside the hospital premises in Mela area as she said, “We came in a batch of 60 people in two buses, we were nine people in the group.”
“There was no chance for escape, there was pushing from all sides,” the woman told PTI Videos.
A large crowd of devotees had assembled at the ghats for the Amrit Snan on Mauni Amavasya. The injured were transported to the central hospital set up in the Mela area. Many of their relatives, along with senior administrative and police officials, also arrived at the hospital.
The Triveni Sangam, the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati rivers, holds immense religious significance for Hindus, who believe that taking a dip during the Maha Kumbh, especially on auspicious days like Mauni Amavasya, cleanses sins and grants salvation (moksha).
In anticipation of a large influx of pilgrims, the Mela authorities on Tuesday issued an advisory urging strict adherence to crowd-management protocols. Devotees were instructed to use designated lanes to reach the Sangam Ghat, remain in their lanes while approaching the bathing area, and vacate the ghats promptly after their holy dip to ensure smooth movement.
Pilgrims were also advised to maintain patience at barricades and pontoon bridges, avoiding any rushing or pushing to prevent mishaps. The administration further emphasized that all ghats at the Sangam are equally sacred, urging devotees to bathe at the first ghat they reach to avoid overcrowding.
