Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh – A sad incident happened early Wednesday morning at the Sangam, where many people came to take a holy dip for Mauni Amavasya, part of the Mahakumbh festival. While officials have not confirmed how many people died, sources say at least 15 bodies have been taken to hospitals.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah called Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath to check on what happened and offer help.
Witnesses say the stampede happened around 2:30 AM when a large crowd of pilgrims arrived. A local social media creator, who saw the chaos, said it was very confusing. “The crowd didn’t know where to go after bathing. Many people were carrying heavy bags, and there were iron dustbins that were hard to see. When a few people fell, it caused others to fall too,” he said.
The eyewitness also mentioned that he got hurt while trying to help others. “I got up and helped my parents and another woman who had fallen. That’s when the crowd started pushing, which led to the stampede,” he explained.
Because of this tragic event, the Akharas, which are traditional Hindu groups, decided to cancel their usual ‘Amrit Snan’ for Mauni Amavasya. Even with the incident, many people continued to gather at the Sangam and other ghats to take part in the rituals.
Authorities are expected to look into what happened to make sure pilgrims are safe during big gatherings in the future. As the community mourns those who lost their lives, there will likely be calls for better crowd control and safety measures.
