PM Modi condoles deaths of devotees in stampede at Maha Kumbh

arun Posted On January 29, 2025

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At least 10 people are feared dead and several people injured after a stampede at the Maha Kumbh. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the situation was under control and urged devotees not to fall for rumours.

Kumar Abhishek, Sweta Singh

Edited By: Prateek Chakraborty

10 feared dead, several injured in stampede at Maha Kumbh

Yogi Adityanath says several devotees jumped barricades and got injured

Devotees flocked for holy dip on Mauni Amavasya, situation under control

At least 10 people were feared dead after a stampede occurred at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj early on Wednesday. The incident occurred as thousands of devotees broke through barriers while thronging the Triveni Sangam for a holy dip on Mauni Amavasya (new moon), the day of the second Shahi Snan (royal bath).

The incident occurred around 2 am 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. Several people suffered injuries while many families have been separated, witnesses told India Today TV.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi called it an “extremely sad” incident and expressed his “deepest condolences to the devotees who have lost their loved ones”.

Maha Kumbh

“The accident that happened in Prayagraj Maha Kumbh is extremely sad. My deepest condolences to the devotees who have lost their loved ones in this. Along with this, I wish for the speedy recovery of all the injured. The local administration is engaged in helping the victims in every possible way,” the Prime Minister tweeted.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said some devotees jumped over the barricades and due to that, some of them got injured and that triggered the stampede. He said that the situation was under control and urged people not to spread rumours about Maha Kumbh.

“There is a huge crowd in Kumbh. Eight to ten crore devotees are present in Kumbh. Nearly six crore devotees came yesterday and took a holy dip at the Sangam. The incident occurred between 1 am and 2 am. The seers will proceed with the Amrit Snan once the crowd reduces,” he said at a press conference.

He said that the Prime Minister spoke to him four times following the incident and that he was constantly monitoring the situation.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Union Health Minister JP Nadda also spoke to Adityanath and assured all possible help from the central government.

Ambulances were rushed to the spot and the injured were shifted to a makeshift hospital in the Mela area. Authorities appealed to the devotees to vacate the spot after taking a dip in the Sangam.

AMRIT SNAN TO BE HELD IN SMALL SCALE

The Akharas (monastic orders) earlier announced that the Amrit Snan had been cancelled for today following the stampede. However, Akhil Bharatiya Akhada Parishad president Ravindra Puri said that Akharas will go ahead with the snan on a small scale after crowds thin out.

“Crores of people came in the morning. We tried to postpone the morning bath today. But now the crowd has reduced. The places where we had to take the holy dip are being cleared. We will take a holy dip. There will be a procession of all the Akharas. It will not be a big procession, but a rally will take place on a small scale,” he said.

He said the Akharas were in regular touch with the administration and asserted that misinformation was spread to create fear in the minds of people, which led to the stampede.

“We have a lot of time and we are in no hurry. We can do snan even at night. In the morning, misinformation was spread to create fear in the minds of people and they succeeded. In the morning, when we talked to everyone we found that the reality was different and a lot of rumours were spread. I want to urge people to not run towards Sangam and take a dip wherever they find Ganga ji,” he said.

Earlier, Kailashanand Giri of Panchayati Niranjani Akhara said the Akhara councils will hold the Amrit Snan on Basant Panchami on February 2.

In a tweet, Adityanath appealed to the devotees to take the holy dip at the nearest ghat at Ganga and not go towards Sangam Nose, where the stampede occurred.

He said that many ghats have been built for the holy dip and urged the people to follow the administration’s instructions, cooperate with them and not pay attention to rumours.

Although the number of people injured is not yet confirmed, witnesses told India Today TV that at least 30 to 40 people might have been injured in the incident.

SIGNIFICANCE OF MAUNI AMAVASYA

Over 10 crore devotees were expected to take a holy dip at the Sangam on Mauni Amavasya today. Mauni Amavasya is known as the most auspicious day for the devotees to take a holy dip in the Ganga.

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

Mauni Amavasya, which is coinciding with the ongoing Maha Kumbh, is considered an auspicious occasion for Hindus, who believe it brings salvation and peace. Devotees will engage in silence, fasting and ancestral worship as part of the rituals at the Sangam.

The Sangam – the 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.

Ahead of this special day, the Uttar Pradesh government had imposed strict crowd control measures, including no-vehicular zones and sector-wise restrictions. The measures were aimed at ensuring smooth and orderly movement of devotees during the event.

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