A stampede occurred at the confluence of Prayagraj on the night of Tuesday-Wednesday, claiming the lives of more than 20 people and leaving over 50 devotees injured. The incident took place during the ongoing Mahakumbh Mela, one of the largest religious gatherings in the world.
According to Bhaskar reporter accounts, the first 14 bodies were brought to a medical college for post-mortem, while additional bodies were brought from the fair area later. Despite the scale of the tragedy, the administration did not provide official updates on the death toll or the number of injured even 10 hours after the incident.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi expressed his condolences, offering support to the families of the victims. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath called for calm and appealed to the people to exercise restraint. He also urged devotees not to overcrowd the sacred Ghats, saying, “Do not think of bathing at the Sradhwar Sangam. The Ganges is sacred everywhere, bathe on the same coast where you are.”
Congress MP Rahul Gandhi blamed the stampede on the “VIP culture” and government negligence. “The government failed to manage the crowd,” Gandhi said. Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav also criticized the situation, suggesting that the Mahakumbh be handed over to the army to ensure proper safety measures.
Key Reasons for the Stampede
Two major factors led to the stampede. Most of the pontoon bridges were closed due to the ongoing nectar bath rituals, causing crowds of crores to gather at the confluence. Many devotees got trapped in barricades, and as rumours of a stampede spread, panic ensued.
Furthermore, the entry and exit routes at Sangam Nose were not clearly separated, causing devotees to move in both directions. When the stampede occurred, the lack of an escape route led to chaos as people fell on top of each other.
Emergency Response and Crowd Control
Over 70 ambulances rushed to the scene, taking the injured and deceased to nearby hospitals. NSG commandos were deployed at the Sangam coast after the stampede, and the entry of the general public into the Sangam Nose area was restricted. To prevent further overcrowding, authorities have stopped devotees from entering Prayagraj from nearby districts.
The Mahakumbh Mela’s Mouni Amavasya bathing ritual is expected to draw around 9 crore devotees to the city. The administration has estimated that 8 to 10 crore devotees will take a dip at 44 Ghats, including the Sangam, by late tonight. On Tuesday alone, over 5.5 million devotees took part in the ritual.
Security has been tightened, with more than 60,000 soldiers deployed across the city to ensure safety.
