'Amrit Snan' resumes, saints head to Triveni Sangam after stampede at Maha Kumbh: 10 points

On Mauni Amavasya, a stampede occurred at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj as crores gathered for the second 'shahi snan' at Triveni Sangam.

The morning of the Mauni Amavasya, one of the most auspicious days of the Maha Kumbh mela in Prayagraj, took a tragic turn when a stampede broke out due to overcrowding. The stampede occurred when crores of people gathered at the Triveni Sangam, the confluence of three rivers- Ganga, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati, to participate in the second ‘shahi snan’, also known as ‘amrit snan’. The first ‘amrit snan’ was held on the occasion of Makar Sankranti on January 14.

Scores of devotees are seen at the Sangam as they gather to take a holy dip on the occasion of 'Mauni Amavasya', during the Maha Kumbh Mela, in Prayagraj, Wednesday.(PTI)

Here are 10 points on the big story:

1. At least 15 people are feared to have died in the stampede, people familiar with the matter said on condition of anonymity. However, no official figure has been confirmed by the authorities.
2. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed condolences over the deaths at the stampede. "The accident that happened in Prayagraj Maha Kumbh is extremely sad. My deepest condolences to the devotees who have lost their loved ones in this. Along with this, I wish for the speedy recovery of all the injured,” he said in a post on X, formerly Twitter.
3. Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has said that the situation is now under control and all the akharas have agreed to let the devotees take the holy dip first. When the crowd is lesser at the Triveni ghat, the akharas will then proceed to participate in the ‘shahi snan’. Yogi Adityanath has also asked devotees to not fall for any rumours.
4. Devotees have been asked to not go to the nose of the Triveni Sangam and take a holy dip at the nearest ghat itself. According to UP CM Yogi Adityanath, several temporary ghats have been made across a stretch 12-20 km where the devotees can participate in ‘amrit snan’.
5. Mahamandleshwar Premanand Puri, a religious leader, has blamed the administration for the tragedy and said that it was busy catering to the VIPs. "I saw that every VIP who attended the Maha Kumbh, the administration was busy just catering to them, it was not bothered with any preparations for the Kumbh,” he said. "All the akharas asked that the Kumbh should be handed over to the Indian army to be managed. If the Kumbh was handed over to the Indian army, I don’t think this big a tragedy would have happened," he added.
6. Former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav attacked the UP government for the tragedy and asked the management of the Maha Kumbh to be handed over to the Indian army.
7. The opposition has also launched attacks at the state and central governments of the Bharatiya Janata Party. Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge blamed “half-baked” arrangements and “paying more attention to self-promotion” for the tragedy.
8. DIG Mahakumbh, Vaibhav Krishna said that the amrit snan is about to begin. “Everything will be carried out traditionally... The police and administration will assist all the Akharas in their traditional processions... The situation is under control,” he said while talking to news agency ANI.
9. The saints are making their way to the Triveni Sangam in smaller groups to perform ‘amrit snan’ as the situation is now under control, as shown in visuals by ANI.
10. As many as 10 crore people are expected to be in Prayagraj on Wednesday to participate in the amrit snan. Till Tuesday, the Maha Kumbh witnessed a whopping 15 crore footfall. The Maha Kumbh, which started on January 12 and will go on till February 26, is expected to host around 45 crore devotees in total.