Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 29 (ANI): At least 30 people have been killed and 60 were injured in the pre-dawn stampede on Wednesday at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj here, a top police officer said.

Twenty-five bodies have been identified and the rest are yet to be identified, Deputy Inspector General (DIG) Kumbh, Vaibhav Krishna, said in a press conference. 

“A total of 30 people have died unfortunately in the stampede that took place at the Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj. Twenty-five bodies have been identified and the rest five are yet to be identified,” he said. 

Among the deceased, four are from Karnataka, one from Assam and one from Gujarat, the DIG said.

Further, he said that 36 people were being treated at a local medical college. 

“36 people are currently being treated at the local medical college. Keeping in mind the convenience of the devotees, the CM Yogi Adityanath has requested all Mahamadaleshwar, saints and Akharas to take their holy dips with some delay. The Amrit Snan of the Akharas has been concluded safely…” he said.  

Giving details of the incident, the DIG said that the stampede occurred in the early hours of Wednesday morning when a huge crowd on the Akhara Marg broke the barricade to take a holy dip.

“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.

Meanwhile, to monitor the situation of Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath has postponed his visit to Delhi for the election campaign tomorrow.

Earlier, Swami Chidanand Saraswati, the President of Parmarth Niketan Ashram expressed condolences over the stampede and called it an ‘unfortunate incident’ and stressed the importance of following the instructions of the administration for the safety. 

Saraswati said, “Whatever happened was very unfortunate. The administration’s orders and messages should have been followed. People are coming in large numbers and taking a holy dip. I express my condolences to those who lost their lives.” (ANI) 

CM Yogi announces Rs 25 lakh assistance for kins

Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 29 (ANI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday expressed grief over the stampede at Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj and offered condolences to the families of the deceased. CM Yogi also announced financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh to the kins of the deceased, while adding that security forces have been deployed at the site.

“The incident is heart-wrenching. We express our deepest condolences to all those families who lost their loved ones. We have been in constant touch with the administration since last night,” CM Yogi said while speaking to the media.

“Mela Authority, police, NDRF, SDRF and all other forces have been deployed there,” he said.
“We are also announcing financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh to the families of the deceased on behalf of the state government. The judicial commission will look into the entire matter and submit its report to the state government within a time limit,” the CM added.

CM Yogi also said that the Chief Secretary and Director General of Police (DGP) would visit Prayagraj and look into all required issues. “In this regard, the Chief Secretary and DGP will visit Prayagraj and look into all the issues if required..” he further added.

Recalling the incident, the CM said that a large number of devotees had gathered in Prayagraj to take a holy dip in Mauni Amavasya. “A large number of devotees had gathered in Prayagraj since 7 PM yesterday to take a holy dip on Mauni Amavasya. An unfortunate incident took place on the Akhara Marg in which over 90 people were injured and 30 people died. 36 people are undergoing treatment in Prayagraj. This incident took place as the crowd broke the barricades of the Akhara Marg,” he recalled.

He further said that a green corridor was created soon after the incident occurred to rush the injured to the hospital.
“Within some time of the incident, a green corridor was created and injured were rushed to the hospital. Unfortunately, these deaths have happened…On all these issues, questions will be raised. The injured who have been discharged have left with their family members,” the CM said.

Adityanath also said that the incident occurred during the main ‘snan’ of the MahaKumbh and due to the large number of devotees in Prayagraj, the routes were choked. “This was the main snan of Kumbh and due to immense pressure (large number of devotees) in Prayagraj, routes were choked. The administration was making attempts since last night to clear those routes..” he further added.

The Chief Minister further said that a three-member commission would be formed. He added that several meetings were conducted throughout the day and continuous communication was made with the administration regarding the incident. “A three-member judicial commission will be headed by Justice Harsh Kumar, former DG VK Gupta and retired IAS DK Singh. We have been monitoring the entire incident from the CM’s, Chief Secretary and DGP’s control rooms throughout the day,” he said.

“Meetings went on throughout the day and there was continuous communication with the administration regarding the incidents. Since the morning, we have been receiving necessary guidelines from the Prime Minister, Home Minister, National President JP Nadda, Railway Minister and others,” he said. (ANI)

Leaders across political lines grief death of devotees in Mahakumbh

New Delhi [India], January 29 (ANI): As chaos erupts over the stampede at the ongoing Mahakumbh, Assam Chief Minister Himanta Biswa Sarma on Wednesday paid his respects to the deceased devotees who lost their lives in the incident during the early hours of the day.

He stated that the administration in Uttar Pradesh faced a “challenging” task in managing the huge influx of devotees but was making efforts to ensure that Mahakumbh remains a success. “Twenty-five crore people had come at Mahakumbh. More will come. It is a very challenging job. The UP administration is making every effort to ensure that (Maha)Kumbh is a success. I pay my respect to the devotees who passed away. A devotee from Assam also passed away. We are talking to the UP government to bring his body back home,” Sarma told ANI.

Meanwhile, expressing grief over the demise of devotees, Yog Guru Baba Ramdev appealed to those visiting the Mahakumbh to follow self-discipline. “It is unfortunate. I appeal to anyone visiting Mahakumbh that the Government and the Administration are fulfilling their duties, but we should follow self-discipline as well. The first characteristic of Dharma is patience. If you don’t get a chance to go to the Sangam, take a dip wherever you get a place. I pray for the salvation of those who have passed away,” Ramdev said.

Moreover, Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) leader Raghav Chaddha said that the UP government should review their preparations to avoid such incidents in the future. “I pray to Mahadev that the souls of the deceased rest in peace. I hope the injured recover quickly. The government should review their preparations to make them better and avoid such incidents in the future,” Chaddha told reporters. (ANI)

Situations in control for ‘Amrit Snan’, says DIG Vaibhav Krishna after Maha Kumbh stampede

Prayagraj (Uttar Pradesh) [India], January 29 (ANI): Maha Kumbh Deputy Inspector in General (DIG) Vaibhav Krishna on Wednesday said that situations had brought in control while Juna Akhara along with two other Akharas would be going for Amrit Snan at Triveni Sangam of the Mahakumbh Mela. “Juna Akhara and two other Akharas are going for the Amrit Snan. Everything is peaceful and the situation is under control…Since there were a lot of devotees, the Akharas proposed to us that they would delay their Amrit Snan,” the DIG said speaking to ANI.
Further, he said that the injured people in the stampede were undergoing treatment, adding that everyone was out of danger.

“The injured in the stampede are currently undergoing treatment. No one is serious, everyone is out of danger,” he further added. President of Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad, Mahant Ravindra Puri who was headed towards the Triveni Sangam for the Amrit Snan said that thousands of saints and Nagas were coming with him.

“We are going for the Amrit Snan and thousands of saints and Nagas are coming with me.. We will vacate the ghats very quickly so that all the devotees who have come here are able to take a holy dip,” he further added.
Meanwhile, Digambar Naga Baba Chidanand Puri of Panchayati Niranjani Akhara speaking to ANI after taking ‘Amrit snan’ said that after today’s stampede-like situation in Maha Kumbh people from Niranjani Akhara are coming in small numbers to take a holy dip.

“Due to an unexpected event today, our (Akharas) shobha yatra could not be taken out. We are now coming to take a holy dip in small numbers,” Digambar Naga Baba said. (ANI)