What Caused The Stampede At Kumbh Mela That Killed 30 On Mauni Amavasya?

A tragic stampede at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj in the early hours of Wednesday left at least 30 people dead and 60 injured, officials confirmed.

What Caused The Stampede?

The stampede occurred between 1 am and 2 am at 'Akhara Marg' in the 4,000 hectare (9,900 acres) temporary city when a massive crowd surged forward, breaking barricades to reach the river for a holy dip. The chaos led to many devotees being trampled. Emergency responders transported around 90 injured individuals to the hospital, but 30 succumbed to their injuries.

Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of Kumbh, Vaibhav Krishna, stated that 25 of the deceased have been identified, while five remain unidentified. Among the victims, four hailed from Karnataka, while Assam and Gujarat each lost one pilgrim. Currently, 36 injured individuals are receiving treatment at a local medical college.

"Before Brahma Muhurta, between 1 am to 2 am, a huge crowd gathered on the Akhara Marg. Due to this crowd, the barricades on the other side broke and the crowd ran over the devotees waiting to take a holy dip on the other side. About 90 people were taken to the hospital through ambulances but unfortunately, 30 devotees have died..." he said.

As per the eyewitness, the cause of the tragedy was the sudden rise in the devotees at the Sangam who were all eager to take the holy dip at 3 am, the beginning of the auspicious hour.

Could Authorities Have Averted the Stampede?

An eyewitness who spoke to NDTV said that the stampede could have been averted if the if the barriers were opened as the crowd started building. "If they had opened the barrier in time, this stampede would have been averted," the website quoted Jagvanti from Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh. "The barriers did not open on time... a huge crowd came in. Nobody came to help at the time. The people were running over each other. We saw our mother and sister-In-law dying in front of our eyes," she added.

Response and Measures

To manage the situation and prevent further incidents, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has urged Mahamandaleshwars, saints, and Akharas to delay their holy dips. The Amrit Snan of the Akharas has been successfully concluded under supervision.

In view of the incident, the UP CM has postponed in his Delhi visit. He was scheduled to take part in the campaign ahead of Delhi Assembly polls.