After reports of chaos and stampede at the Mahakumbh, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has appealed to devotees to not attempt to go to the Sangam but to bathe at whichever ghat is closest to them.
Today is Mauni Amawasya and the administration had envisaged that record crowds would turn up- but the numbers seem to have gone beyond expectations as news of huge crowds at all nearby railway stations have been coming in. Those who reached stations at Prayagraj had to walk for many kilometres.
Yogi Adityanath has called upon people to maintain ‘self-discipline’.
#WATCH | Lucknow | Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath says," The situation in Prayagraj is under control..."
— ANI (@ANI) January 29, 2025
"Around 8-10 crore devotees are present in Prayagraj today. There is continuous pressure due to the movement of devotees towards the Sangam Nose. A few devotees have… pic.twitter.com/lOc1OIraqm
Videos of people being directed by the police to the closest ghats have emerged but many have expressed disappointment as the celebration’s most important component is bathing at the confluence and not just in the Ganga- which can be done at other holy cities as well.
The akharas have also stepped in to stem the chaos. Acharya Mahamandaleshwar Swami Avdheshanand Giri of the Juna Akhara said that the sadhus had only taken a symbolic bath.
Ravindra Puri, the chairperson of the Akhara Parishad said that the safety of devotees was of prime importance and hence the akharas would not undertake the Amrit snan.
The paths that would have been reserved for the akharas thus have been opened up for general devotees, easing some of the pressure.
It is not clear how many people have been injured at present.
Samajawadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, also took to X to highlight the ‘mismanagement’. He asked that the injured be airlifted to the best nearby hospitals, the dead be identified and urgent efforts made to reunite those who have been separated.
The former UP chief minister has asked the government to ‘learn a lesson’ from today’s incident and make additional arrangements for the stay, accommodation, food, water and other facilities for devotees.
Before the start of the Mahakumbh, UP’s DGP, Prashant Kumar, had said that there would be no 'VIP culture' at the mela. However, a steady stream of VIPs has been coming to the Sangam. Two days ago when the Home Minister, Amit Shah, was at Prayagraj, many of the pontoon bridges were shut off thereby creating great difficulty for ordinary pilgrims.
