Stampede at Mahakumbh leaves several dead, Akharas halt Amrit snan, RAF deployed

A tragic stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, left at least 30 people dead and over 50 others injured early Wednesday morning, officials confirmed. The incident occurred as millions of devotees gathered for the most auspicious bathing day "Mauni Amavasya" of the six-week-long Hindu festival. Following the stampede, all the 13 Akharas decided to halt their holy bath. After a meeting, it was decided that the Naga Sadhus and other siants of the Akharas will take the holy dip after the crowd gets lesser.

Drone footage captured the massive influx of pilgrims arriving in the early hours to take the sacred dip in the river. However, the situation quickly turned chaotic, leading to a deadly stampede. Videos and images from the site showed bodies being carried away on stretchers, distressed devotees crying on the ground, and belongings scattered across the area as people attempted to escape the turmoil.

According to witnesses, the stampede occurred around 2:30 a.m. local time. While authorities initially downplayed the severity, reports suggest that many devotees were caught in a secondary rush as they attempted to flee. Some pilgrims tried to return to the pontoon bridges, only to find them closed, leading to further panic. "I saw many people falling and getting trampled, with children and women lost and crying for help," said Ravin, a devotee from Mumbai.

In response to the disaster, the Rapid Action Force (RAF) was deployed to manage the crowd, and emergency rescue operations were launched. Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke with Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, urging immediate relief efforts for the victims. Adityanath, in turn, appealed to devotees to take dips at nearby riverbanks instead of crowding the festival’s main site.

Authorities swiftly canceled the much-anticipated 'royal bath' following the tragedy. Despite extensive security and crowd management measures, including medical teams and software-assisted monitoring, the unprecedented surge of devotees proved overwhelming.

This is not the first time a stampede has occurred at the Maha Kumbh Mela. A similar tragedy unfolded in 2013, claiming at least 36 lives. The latest incident underscores the challenges of managing one of the world’s largest religious gatherings, where tens of millions of devotees assemble for spiritual cleansing and blessings.