The tragic stampede during the Mahakumbh turned the world’s largest religious gathering into a scene of chaos and tragedy. With over 35 dead and hundreds injured, criticism is mounting over mismanagement and alleged prioritising of VIPs over crowd control. A report by Mudit Mathur
The devastating stampede near Sangam during the ongoing Mahakumbh at Prayagraj killed more than 35 devotees and left hundreds of their accompanying relatives seriously injured who reached there for the “Amrit Snan” on “Mauni Amavasya”, one of the most auspicious bathing days of the six-week-long religious festival. Hundreds of pilgrims are still missing during the tragedy amid the unprecedented gathering of crowds.
The enthusiasm for the biggest festival of the globe soon turned into a mourning site within seconds in the early hours of January 29, 2025. The unexpected sudden surge in the crowds outnumbered the police force and barricades, resulting in the tragic stampede. Opposition parties have slammed the BJP-led government for “mismanagement” and prioritising VIP movement over crowd control.
Recounting hours of chaos, and panic, many eyewitnesses revealed, “We screamed, we cried, but nobody listened…people just walked over others. There was a messy surge in the crowd, with devotees falling over one another in a desperate rush to reach the holy waters at Sangam. There was a scuffle, a (wooden) barrier broke, and many people died and several were injured.” Some blamed the poor management of crowd control, while others pointed to route closures on pontoon bridges that led to a bottleneck, triggering panic at the world’s biggest religious congregation.
The police and administrative arrangements failed to manage the enormous influx of approximately 8-10 crore pilgrims efficiently despite declaring the vicinity around the festival to be a no-vehicle zone from January 27 to January 30 to facilitate pedestrian movement and ensure public safety. The government had stopped all VIP protocols on January 29, but surprisingly it accorded VIP treatment to film star-turned- politician, BJP MP Hema Malini on “Mauni Amavasya” at Sangam in breach of its much-publicised decision to accord equal access and experience to all the coming devotees during their visit.
The sudden stampede exposed vast claims of effective arrangements by the police administration which had made elaborate arrangements by installing 2,300 CCTV cameras across Prayagraj and the Mahakumbh site to help with population density analysis, crowd control, incident reporting, and cleanliness monitoring through control centres. In the Mela region, authorities have constructed 1.45 lakh restrooms and 99 temporary parking spaces covering 1,850 hectares. Ten digital ‘Khoya-Paya (Lost and Found) booths’ were also formed in the Mahakumbh area as part of efforts to ensure the safety of pilgrims visiting the event. During the crisis, all measures failed miserably.
Shocked by the tragedy, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said: “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. The Mela Authority, Police, Administration, NDRF, SDRF and all other arrangements that could be made have been deployed there.” “Our government will give a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the families of the victims and a judicial probe into the matter will be conducted. A three-member judicial commission comprising retired High Court judge Justice Harsh Kumar, former DG VK Gupta and retired IAS officer, DK Singh will submit a report on the matter,” Yogi told reporters.
“The crowd on this side crossed to the other side and started running over devotees waiting for “Brahm Muhurta”. The administration immediately resorted to rescue operations creating a green corridor for ambulances, and took 90 injured to the hospitals. Unfortunately, 30 of those devotees have died,” confirmed DIG, Kumbh Mela, Vaibhav Krishna. The eyewitness account put the figures much higher than the official version.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed his condolences over the incident, saying he was “deeply saddened” by the loss of lives and praying for the speedy recovery of the injured. Now, under the shadow of such a big disaster, he is coming to take a holy dip at the Mahakumbh 2025 on February 5, a date rich in spiritual significance, aligning with Bhishma Ashtami and Magh Ashtami but not on “Shahi Snan” day as reports indicated earlier.
Modi is scheduled to perform aarti and is expected to visit Akshayavat, Saraswati Koop, and Bade Hanuman Mandir. Likewise, Vice-President Jagdeep Dhankhar is scheduled to arrive at Kumbh on Feb 1 while President Draupadi Murmu, would visit on Feb 10, two days before Magh Poornima.
The first President of India Dr Rajendra Prasad and Prime Minister Jawahar Lal Nehru attended “Mouni Amavasya” on February 3, 1954. Around 1000 people were trampled to death in a stampede coinciding with their visit. Nehru faced huge criticism in and outside Parliament over the unfortunate incident. Since then, VIPs have been restrained from offering religious rituals on the days of “Shahi Snan” for the last six Mahakumbh.
Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi and Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge blamed the “VIP culture” for the unfortunate tragedy and said it should be curbed and the government “should make better arrangements to meet the needs of common devotees”. “Mismanagement and the administration’s special focus on VIP movement, instead of common devotees, are responsible for this tragic incident,” they said.
Samajwadi Party chief and former UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav while taking a jab at the Yogi government in the state, said, “Those who are making tall claims of world-class arrangements at the Maha Kumbh… should take moral responsibility for the deaths and should resign from their positions”. He demanded to deploy the Army for the smooth conduct of Mahakumbh.
Demanding an inquiry led by a sitting judge of the Supreme Court into the incident, Congress MP from Allahabad, Ujjwal Raman Singh, said, “We had expressed the apprehension much earlier that anything could happen because of the prevailing VIP culture, VIP movements and incomplete preparations at the Kumbh Mela. The entire administration is working to cover up the incident.”
“The administration was not letting people access the pontoon bridges. All the pontoon bridges have been closed ever since the visits of the Home Minister and Chief Minister. When I inquired with officials, they said all pontoon bridges will remain closed until January 30. People are forced to walk on foot up to 20 km,” Singh added.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut said, “The Kumbh Mela is not an event but a matter of faith. When Union Ministers and VIPs visit, it puts pressure on the system and the whole city has to be shut down. More than Rs 10,000 crore has been spent. Where did it go? If there were arrangements, this incident wouldn’t have happened. The BJP is marketing this event.”
Union Defence Minister Rajnath Singh and Home Minister Amit Shah, Union Home Minister Amit Shah along with his wife Sonal Shah and family, Baba Ramdev, film star and MP Hema Malini, BJP leaders, celebrities including top singers and Bollywood actors, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath with his entire cabinet, chief ministers of other states, and many union and state ministers have taken a holy dip at Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj, on days other than “Shahi Snan,” respecting the protocol set in place by authorities looking into the past experiences.
The Mahakumbh is the world’s largest religious gathering, giving devotees a chance to connect deeply with their faith and culture but this time devotees have been facing many difficulties in Prayagraj including unimaginable exorbitantly higher fares of hotel accommodation and private households. Bookings, as well as airfares for flights to Prayagraj, have jumped multi-fold as more people travel to take part in Mahakumbh. Airfares for the Delhi-Prayagraj flights have reportedly climbed up to 21 per cent.
