Maha Kumbh: Stampede on Mauni Amavasya, casualties feared; Akharas call off Amrit Snan

Mahakumbh Nagar: Multiple casualties were feared after a "stampede-like" situation broke out at the Sangam on Wednesday amid the ongoing Maha Kumbh, as millions of pilgrims turned up for a holy bath on Mauni Amavasya, officials said.

In view of the incident, the Akharas called off their traditional 'Amrit Snan' for Mauni Amavasya, even as devotees in large numbers continued to take a dip at Sangam and other ghats in the Mela area.

Officer on Special Duty for the Mela Akanksha Rana said, "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".

Prime Minister Narendra Modi reviewed the situation in a call with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and called for immediate support measures, according to officials.

The Amrit Snan on Mauni Amavasya is the most significant ritual of the Maha Kumbh and is expected to draw around 10 crore pilgrims.

This year, a rare celestial alignment called 'Triveni Yog' is occurring after 144 years, amplifying the spiritual significance of the day.

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 established in the Mela area. Relatives of many injured also reached there, as did some senior administrative and police officials.

"We came in a batch of 60 people in two buses, we were nine people in the group. Suddenly there was pushing in the crowd, and we got trapped. A lot of us fell down and the crowd went uncontrolled," Sarojini from Karnataka said, weeping outside the hospital.

"There was no chance for escape, there was pushing from all sides," the woman told PTI Videos.

A man from Chhattarpur in Madhya Pradesh said his mother was injured and hospitalised, while a middle-aged married couple from Meghalaya walked away from the crowd, both of them sobbing and narrating to reporters their harrowing experience of getting caught up in the ruckus.

Another woman at the hospital, whose child suffered injuries in the chaos, narrated her ordeal, claiming, "There was nowhere to go. Some people who pushed us were laughing while we begged them for kindness towards the children."

The incident occurred around 2 pm on Wednesday, amid a sea of tightly-packed crowds converging at the Sangam and all other ghats created along a 12-km long range of river banks for the Maha Kumbh.

While ordinary devotees continued their holy bath after the incident, the Akharas (monastic orders) called off their traditional Amrit Snan for Mauni Amavasya.

"You would've seen what happened in the morning, and that's why we have decided to... All of our saints and seers were ready for the 'snan' when we were informed about this incident. That's why we have decided to call off our 'snan' on 'Mauni Amavasya'," Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad president Mahant Ravindra Puri said.

As per tradition of the Kumbh Mela, Akharas belonging to the three sects 'Sanyasi, Bairagi, and Udaseen' take the holy dip in a set sequence following a majestic, awe-inspiring procession to the Sangam Ghat.

The Triveni Sangam -- confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati -- is considered the holiest by Hindus, with a belief that taking a dip in it during Maha Kumbh and particularly on special bathing dates like Mauni Amavasya washes away people's sins and provides them 'moksha' or salvation.

On Tuesday, in view of the anticipated influx of pilgrims, the Mela authorities issued an advisory urging devotees to follow crowd-management guidelines for safety and convenience.

Pilgrims were asked to use designated lanes to reach Sangam Ghat, stay in their lanes while approaching the bathing area, and avoid lingering at ghats after the holy dip. They were urged to proceed promptly to parking areas or their destinations to ensure smooth movement.

Visitors were reminded to remain patient at barricades and pontoon bridges, avoiding rushing or jostling to prevent accidents. The administration emphasised that "all ghats at Sangam are equally sacred", encouraging devotees to "bathe at the first ghat they reach to prevent overcrowding".

Being held after 12 years, the Maha Kumbh kicked off on January 13 and will continue till February 26. The UP government, hosting the fair, expects a total footfall of around 40 crore pilgrims at the largest spiritual gathering on the planet.