More than seven killed in stampede at Maha Kumbh

Video and photographs after the stampede showed bodies being taken away on stretchers and people sitting on the ground crying, while others stepped over a carpet of discarded belongings left by people as they tried to escape the stampede.

Lucknow: Many devotees were feared killed and several others injured in a stampede at Maha Kumbh during the ‘Amrit Snan’ on the occasion of ‘Mauni Amavasya’ on Wednesday.

Though officials remained tight-lipped about casualties, sources revealed that 14 devotees, including women, were killed in the stampede which took place near the the ‘Sangam’ (the confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati rivers) around 2 am. Some other reports put the death toll at seven.

Visuals showed ambulances leaving the Maha Kumbh area and bodies lying in the hospital as people ran helter-skelter and were seen looking for their near and dear ones in the melee. Pictures of people crying and the injured being carried on stretchers went viral on social media platforms.

Although it was not clear how the stampede occurred, eye witnesses said that it started after a few devotees, especially women, fell down owing to the huge crowd at the Sangam. ‘’The crowd suddenly surged around 2 am.....some people fell down and then there was a stampede and the people started running trampling those who had fallen down,’’ said a devotee who was present there.

As news of the stampede spread, the Akharas, which were scheduled to take the holy dip at the Sangam during the wee hours, cancelled the same and appealed to the devotees to not proceed toward the Sangam.

A spokesperson of the Akharas later said that the seers would take part in the ‘Amrit Snan’ after the situation stabilised.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke four times to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and reviewed the situation. Adityanath also appealed to the devotees to not proceed toward the 'Sangam nose’ where the crowds of devotees had gathered for the ‘snan’.

‘’Don’t try to move toward the sangam nose....take bath at other banks on the Ganga...don’t pay attention to the rumours and follow the instructions,’’ the chief minister said.

Adityanath also appealed to the seers and saints to not go for bathing at the Sangam and remain in their camps and take bath at the nearest ghats. The chief minister also chaired a meeting of officials to review the situation.

Sources said officials were not allowing devotees arriving to visit the Maha Kumbh from other parts of the state and country to enter Prayagraj. Vehicles carrying devotees were stopped outside the city and other borders of the district. An estimated 100 million devotees were expected to bathe at the Sangam on Mauni Amavasya.

Former Congress president and leader of the opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi expressed grief over the tragedy and blamed VIP culture for the incident. Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati also condoled the deaths and urged the state government to take measures to provide all possible medical care to the devotees.

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