India begins investigation after 30 killed in Kumbh Mela stampede

Independent

30-01-2025

Indian authorities have launched an investigation into the stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela that killed at least 30 people early on Wednesday and left 60 injured.
Millions of Hindu pilgrims have arrived at the festival in Prayagraj in the northern Uttar Pradesh state to take a 'holy bath' at the confluence of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and the mythical Saraswati.
The state government took almost 16 hours to provide any death toll after senior police officers initially dismissed the report of a stampede, which took place about 1km away from the confluence called Sangam.
"The government has decided that a judicial inquiry of the incident will be done," Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath told reporters late on Wednesday after refusing to call the incident a stampede the entire day. 'For this, we have formed a three-member judicial commission, which will look into the entire matter and submit its report to the state government within a time limit.'
He said the crush occurred when pilgrims tried to jump barricades erected for a procession of naked, ash-smeared ascetic men.
Reuters quoted police sources as claiming that around 40 dead bodies had been brought to a local hospital morgue in Prayagraj. It is unclear why there is a discrepancy between ground reports and the official death toll.
'More bodies are coming in. We have nearly 40 bodies here,' one of the sources said from the Moti Lal Nehru Medical College hospital. 'We are transferring them out as well and handing them over to families one by one.'
Families of the victims blamed the police for not making proper arrangements to manage the crowd on what was expected to be one of the busiest days of the festival, the Mauni Amavasya or new moon day.
"Police didn't make proper arrangements. They are responsible for this,' said Saroja, a pilgrim from the southern city of Belagavi who lost four family members in the stampede.
The Uttar Pradesh government, however, praised the police, saying their "swift and effective response ... prevented a potential tragedy".
Opposition leaders blamed the stampede on mismanagement and the prioritising of access to the river for VIPs, and urged the state government to improve festival arrangements.
Nearly 76 million people had taken a 'holy dip', called Shahi Snan, at Sangam until 8pm local time on Wednesday, officials said. The six-week festival, held once every 12 years, was expected to draw nearly 400 million devotees, making it the largest religious gathering in the world.