Stampede at Kumbh: Restrictions for VIP visits lead to such tragedies, says Sanjay Raut

Mumbai: The Shiv Sena (UBT) on Wednesday sought to know who was responsible for the stampede at the Maha Kumbh, and claimed that closure of certain parts of the riverbank for visits by ministers leads to such situations.

A day should be reserved for visits by VIPs, said the party's Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut, adding that more than Rs 10,000 crore have been spent for the management of Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj.

"Where did the money go? The BJP has been doing political campaigning through the Kumbh. It wants to market the Kumbh and contest polls. This is not their faith but politics, and people lose their lives," Raut said, adding that the deaths in the early morning stampede were a "murder by the state administration." Multiple casualties were feared after the stampede at the Sangam as millions of pilgrims turned up for a holy bath on 'Mauni Amavasya'.

When Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Maha Kumbh, a ghat was closed for a day, and when Home Minister Amit Shah visited, the entire Prayagraj was closed, the Sena (UBT) leader claimed.

"This adds to the pressure on the system, and this leads to crowding, and then a stampede takes place," Raut said.

Kumbh is not "event management" but it is a matter of faith, Raut said, taking a jibe at the BJP.

He also said people still remember the excellent management of the Maha Kumbh that took place when Akhilesh Yadav was chief minister from 2012 to 2017. Crores of people are visiting Prayagraj on Wednesday but there is no proper arrangement, he said.