From 1954 to 2025, how Prayagraj has learned to live with stories of Kumbh stampedes

Prayagraj: "My uncle had saved his sister by pulling her out of the river waters by her hair as she slipped below amid the commotion," says city-based advocate Niranjan Lal recalling the 1954 Kumbh Mela stampede stories he had heard from his aunt who survived it.

This was the first Kumbh in Allahabad after Independence, and the tragic incident took place on February 3 on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya. According to official estimates, several hundred had died in the stampede.

Seventy-one years later, a stampede took place on January 29, again on Mauni Amavasya day as a massive crowd sought to enter into the Triveni Sangam waters for the 'amrit snan'.

Lal, 67, and his wife were camping in a Swiss cottage in Sector 6 of Mahakukbh Nagar, when they got a call from their son at home late night, cautioning them not to go to the Sangam due to the stampede.

"We didn't step out from the camp until the sun came out, and at around 11 am, we went to Dashashwamedh Ghat on Ganga, located near Sector 6. There were huge crowds in the mela area, in the streets and at the ghat. We were aware of the tragedy that had unfolded a few hours ago, and therefore we were alert, and being a local resident knew what to do in case the crowd became unmanageable," Lal told PTI here.

"But, we didn't go back feeling fearful. My wife continued to camp until the 'kalpwas' period was over, continuing the multi-generation tradition of our family," he said.

Lal belongs to an old family of Allahabad (renamed Prayagraj in 2018), many of whose members have performed 'kalpwas' and bathing rituals at all Kumbh melas held here post Independence.

His wife, Saloni Niranjan kept the family tradition, and observed the rituals at Maha Kumbh this year, after her mother-in-law's death in 2019.

"We were married in 1988, and few months later, the 1989 Kumbh Mela happened. And, I and my wife have been part of all successive Kumbh also since then. But, the 1954 tragedy is something my uncle and 'bua' (aunt) used to talk about. She told me how she was saved by my father's elder brother while she was drowning during the incident," Lal reminisced, adding, his 'bua' who was born in 1920s and also used to observe rituals, died in 1986.

Lal's father, Govind Prasad, a government officer was at the family camp in the mela area when the disaster took place.

The incident of the 1954 stampede was then described as a "national tragedy".

Akshat Lal, 32, son of Niranjan Lal, says, he used to hear stories about the old Kumbh Melas from his grandmother and aunt, whose mother was rescued during the 1954 stampede.

"The scale of the tragedy was such that the entire country was shaken. Every other old family in Allahabad either has a personal story attached to it, or they know someone having some link with the tragedy," he told PTI.

The young scholar, who even wrote a 100-odd-page book "Kumbh: A Divine Show at Allahabad" in 2013, has researched extensively on the subject.

Another stampede took place at Allahabad Junction (now Prayagraj Junction) during the 2013 Kumbh Mela in which scores of people died.

After the 1954 stampede, an inquiry committee was set up and it made a slew of recommendations for better crowd management and ensuring the safety of pilgrims.

"If one looks at the Maha Kumbh 2025, a VVIP culture was promoted during it, and aggressive marketing and '144 years' hype was used to draw people to the mela. The authorities were somehow complacent and some so-called celebrities were telling on social media that arrangements were 'great' and people should flock to Sangam, which were a factor for overcrowding and eventually a stampede," he alleged.

The Uttar Pradesh government had, however, maintained that ample arrangements were made, and the theme itself was 'Bhavya Divya Surakshit Maha Kumbh'.

PTI spoke to many other residents of the city who either witnessed January 29 stampede or its aftermath or knew someone who was present there in the mela.

Renu Devi, a domestic help, said, she saw piles of footwear and bags at the ghats and also many floating in the river the day the stampede took place.

"I saw people being taken away in ambulances, it was panic all over," she said.

For people like Devi, however, faith overpowers fear, as she said, "I took holy dip for five times during this Kumbh, mostly after the stampede".

Maha Kumbh, the spectacle that takes place once in 12 years, was held this year from January 13 (Paush Purnima) to February 26 (Mahashivratri) and saw grand processions of Naga Sadhus and three 'Amrit Snans'. The mega religious gathering drew a record over 66 crore pilgrims during this period.

At least 30 people died and 60 were injured in the stampede last month, according to official figures. However, several opposition parties and many of their leaders have questioned the veracity of the toll, and claimed that the number of casualties is far higher.

A resident said, "I know some persons who were there when the stampede happened. Going by what they saw that night, the figure of 30 seem rather low given the scale of the crowd."

Author Kama Maclean in her 2008 book "Pilgrimage and Power: The Kumbh Mela in Allahabad 1765-1954", writes that while she was in Uttar Pradesh to research for the book, she was "struck by the number of people whose immediate reaction was to tell me about the 1954 Kumbh Tragedy, at which they or their parents, relatives or acquaintances had been present".

Advocate Lal says, "We in Allahabad feel blessed that it is the site of Triveni, and look forward to it every 12 years, but there is always a sense of fear that a stampede may happen."