Frenzy to reach coveted 'Sangam Nose' for holy dip led to stampede at Mahakumbh

Suddenly, the mela premises, which had been throbbing with spiritual energy, was filled with screams, tears and a huge clamour for help with devotees running helter-skelter
Security personnel rescue a woman during the stampede on 'Mauni Amavasya' at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj (Photo | PTI)
Security personnel rescue a woman during the stampede on 'Mauni Amavasya' at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj (Photo | PTI)
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LUCKNOW: A frenzy to reach the coveted 'Sangam Nose' to take the second Amrit Snan in the wee hours of ‘Mauni Amavasya’ led to the stampede claiming 30 lives and leaving over 60 injured at the Mahakumbh on Wednesday.

Devotees, who had thronged the Sangam for a holy dip, wanted to bathe at the limited space of the 'Sangam Nose' reserved for Akharas.

They jostled through the corridor carved out especially for Akhara processions, which was secured by barricades. The crowd broke the barricades and the situation went out of hand leading to the stampede.

Suddenly, the mela premises, which had been throbbing with spiritual energy, was filled with screams, tears and a huge clamour for help with devotees running helter-skelter looking for their dear ones who got separated.

“It was a frenzy and obsession to reach the Sangam Nose. Also, a rumour that Naga Sadhus had started for the holy dip made the devotees rush and they jumped over each other breaking the barricade, leading to the stampede. Several women had fallen to the ground and got trampled by the crowd proceeding towards the Sangam,” said Rakesh Sahu of Rae Bareli.

Nalin Kumar of Patna said he had come for a dip with seven other family members of whom two are still missing. “The crowd surged and started jostling to reach Triveni. This led some of the women devotees falling to the ground and people stepped over them to go ahead to the Sangam. We were feeling helpless," he said.

"Somehow we saved six members of our group. The crowd was unmanageable despite all the arrangements," he added.

Security personnel rescue a woman during the stampede on 'Mauni Amavasya' at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj (Photo | PTI)
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Bhagwant Singh of Muraina, Madhya Pradesh, also attributed the stampede to the unruly crowd of devotees. “While a set of devotees was coming from the Sangam side, another group was heading to the Sangam. The crowd was so massive that people were not able to walk without rubbing shoulders. Suddenly, a few women fell down and the crowd trampled them leading to clamour and screams,” he said.

The akharas had to start arriving for the Amrit Snan from 5 am.

"I made all the plans to visit Mahakumbh and take the holy dip at Sangam, and when my husband informed me that no boats would operate on Mauni Amavasya and one has to bathe on the banks of the Ganga, I refused to go," said Anjana, a local resident of Prayagraj.

The authorities had made provisions for those coming from outside Prayagraj to bathe at 42 temporary ghats along the banks of the Ganga and return from there, but huge numbers decided to come to the 'Sangam Nose'.

A reel of Prayagraj Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant is also doing the rounds on social media showing him telling devotees not to sleep and go fast to have a dip and vacate the mela area, but it seems like none adhered to his suggestion.

"I am unable to understand who told them (the devotees) that only Sangam Nose is the pious area; in fact, the entire 'panch kosh' (around 9.5 km) of the area around Sangam is equally pious," said the head of Paramhans Ashram (Tikar Mafi), Swami Harichaitanya Brahmchari.

“If these devotees are so desperate to bathe in the water of the confluence, better bathe in the lower stream of Ganga (towards Chhatnag) where one gets water of the two rivers,” he added.

Security personnel rescue a woman during the stampede on 'Mauni Amavasya' at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj (Photo | PTI)
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