‘Father fell, trampled by hordes in blink of an eye’: Kumbh stampede survivor
Tragic stampede at Maha Kumbhh on Mauni Amavasya claimed at least 30 lives, leaving families devastated.
Prayagraj : Jai Prakash Soni’s voice quivered as he recounted the heartbreaking loss of his mother, Sheela, in the stampede that struck Sangam Ghat in Prayagraj on Wednesday morning. The tragedy unfolded in the early hours when a massive crowd of devotees was caught in a panic, sparking chaos and leading to loss of life.
Jai Prakash, who managed to rescue his elderly father, wife, and two children, could not save his mother, who was trampled in the rush.
While consoling his sobbing father and two children as they waited at the Central Hospital, he recalled, “My mother fell as someone pushed from behind. I managed to pull my family to safety, but by the time I could search for my mother, she had already been crushed by the crowd. Six of us came here. Now we are five.” Jai Prakash, overwhelmed with grief, expressed his frustration with the authorities, suggesting that the lack of crowd control contributed to the tragic incident.
A woman, who lost her sister, accused the police and the Prayagraj administration in their inability in averting the situation from taking an ugly turn. “The police did nothing. Instead, all cops were engaged in blocking the passage and forcing devotees to walk an extra mile,” she alleged.
Among the victims was Nankun, from Gonda district, who was crushed in the stampede. His son Rahul recounted the tragedy. “We had come to Prayagraj for the Mauni Amavasya bath. My father fell during the stampede, and within moments, thousands of people trampled him. He was declared dead at the hospital.” he said, appealing to the authorities to assist in bringing his father’s body back home.
Two women from Ballia district, who were also at the Sangam, also lost their lives in the stampede, while others sustained injuries. Villagers said that Sanjay Singh and Meera Singh’s husband, Baljeet Singh, were injured in the chaos. Another woman from Ballia said she lost her husband.
Bodies, shawls, caps, scarf, slippers, and bags remained scattered on the ground as families anxiously looked for their loved ones at the Sangam bank after a deadly stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela that happened on one of the most auspicious days, Mauni Amasvya, as per Hindu calendar.
Eyewitnesses said the incident occurred as devotees rushes to take a pre-dawn dip at the confluence of the Sangam of three rivers - the Ganga, the Yamuna, and the invisible Saraswati which many believe absolves them of all sins and frees them from the circle of life and death.
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