We all know that Maha Kumbh Mela is going on in Prayagraj and a lot of people are coming there. And the crowd is increasing daily. But a very sad incident happened on Wednesday night.
A stampede occurred at the Sangam Ghat in Prayagraj during the Maha Kumbh on Tuesday-Wednesday midnight, leading to the death of 35 to 40 people. Seventeen hours after the incident, the Uttar Pradesh government confirmed 30 deaths.
At 6:30 PM, Mela Officer Vijay Kiran Anand and DIG Vaibhav Krishna held a three-minute press conference. DIG Vaibhav Krishna stated that 30 devotees had died, and 60 were injured. Out of the deceased, 25 bodies have been identified.
He said that among those who died in the stampede, maximum of 19 devotees died from UP, 4 from Karnataka and one each from Gujarat and Assam.
He said- Some barricades at the Ghat were broken, due to which some people climbed on some devotees sleeping on the ground. After this there was chaos. He told that there will be no VIP protocol in the fair.
Fair officer Vijay Kiran Anand said- Work is being done to send back the devotees who have come to Mahakumbh. Don’t ask questions now. At the same time, CM Yogi has announced a compensation of Rs 25 lakh each to the families of the deceased.
At the time of the stampede, devotees were waiting for the Mauni Amavasya holy bath at the Sangam Ghat.
Reasons for the stampede
Most of the pontoon bridges were closed due to Amrit Asnan. Due to this, a crowd of lakhs started gathering at the Sangam. During this time some people got trapped in the barricades and fell down. Seeing this there was a stampede.
There were no separate entry and exit routes at Sangam Nose. People were going back the same way they had come. In such a situation, when a stampede broke out, there was no chance to escape. They kept falling on each other.