Stampede at Maha Kumbh, Adityanath Reports Serious Injuries to Some Devotees

The incident took place between 1 am and 2 am when some devotees climbed over the barricades at Akhara marg, he said.

A stampede broke out at the Sangam area of the Maha Kumbh early Wednesday as crores of pilgrims jostled for space to take a holy dip on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath saying some devotees were "seriously injured".

The incident took place between 1 am and 2 am when some devotees climbed over the barricades at Akhara marg, he said.

Advertisement

Between 1 am to 2 am, at the akhara route where arrangements were made for the Amrit Snan of the akharas, some devotees crossed over the barricades and were critically injured. They were immediately rushed to hospital where treatment was promptly ensured," he said after a high-level meeting in Lucknow.

Adityanath said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Union Home Minister Amit Shah and BJP chief JP Nadda had called him up since morning to take stock of the situation.

Advertisement

He added that a consensus has been reached with the akharas that they would take the holy dip only after the crowd pressure has decreased at the ghats.

“I have personally spoken to Akahara Parishad heads and other seers, including Maha Mandaleshwars and the respected saints have politely agreed to let devotees take the dip and only after the crowd pressure decreases they will take the dip,” the CM said.

Advertisement

“Our first priority is to ensure safety of devotees,” he said, adding “the situation in Prayagraj is under control but the crowd pressure is still there”.

Adityanath urged the people to take a dip at their nearest ghats and not try to reach the Sangam Nose.

Advertisement

Officer on Special Duty for the Mela Akanksha Rana earlier 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".

Around 2 am, the howling sirens of ambulances and police vehicles rushing to the Sangam pierced through the continuous chants of mantras and shlokas echoing from loudspeakers all over the Kumbh Mela area.

Advertisement

The injured were rushed to a central hospital erected in the Mela area. Relatives of many of the injured also came there. Even some senior administrative and police officers arrived there.

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," said Sarojini from Karnataka, weeping outside the hospital.

Advertisement

"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 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.

Advertisement

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 head of the Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad Mahant Ravindra Puri said the traditional bathing ritual of all the akharas has been deferred due to "overcrowding" at the Sangam ghat amid the Maha Kumbh.

Advertisement

However, Puri, who is the head of the apex body of 13 akharas, did not refer to the stampede and said there was "overcrowding" at the Sangam.

“We are seeing that the crowd is decreasing now, and we are in talks with the Mela administration. If the crowd is decreasing, then we would like to take the snan,” Puri told PTI Videos.

Advertisement

Puri said he was waiting for clearance from the Mela administration to proceed with the traditional akhara bathing rituals of saints, which however, would be much subdued.

According to tradition at the Kumbh Mela, Akharas of the three sects 'Sanyasi, Bairagi, and Udaseen' take the holy dip in a set sequence through an awesome procession to the Sangam Ghat.

Advertisement

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.

In light of the expected rush of pilgrims, the Mela authorities issued an advisory to devotees on Tuesday asking them to follow crowd management guidelines to ensure their safety and convenience.

Advertisement

Pilgrims were requested to use lanes to reach Sangam Ghat, stay in lanes while approaching the bathing area, and not loiter at ghats after the holy dip. They were advised to move ahead quickly to parking areas or their destinations to ensure smooth movement.

Visitors were reminded to be patient at barricades and pontoon bridges, not rushing or jostling to prevent accidents. Administration reminded that "all ghats at Sangam are equally sacred", and "bathe at the first ghat they reach to prevent overcrowding".

Advertisement

Being held after 12 years, the Maha Kumbh commences on 13 January and will go up to 26 February. Organized by the UP government, the fair anticipates a cumulative footfall of around 40 crore pilgrims at the planet's largest spiritual gathering.

Read also| International Space Station Captures Stunning Images of Mahakumbh 2025

Advertisement

Read also| India's Military Strength and Cultural Heritage Showcased at Kartavya Path

Advertisement