Stampede at Maha Kumbh Mela on big bathing day: What went wrong?

Today (January 29) was meant to be a sacred day at the Maha Kumbh in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj. However, tragedy unfolded when a stampede-like situation unfolded at the Maha Kumbh on the morning of Mauni Amavasya, prompting Akharas to put pause on the holy dip.

While there are fears of casualties, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanathhas said that a few devotees “suffered serious injuries”. Prime Minister Narendra Modi has expressed his condolences to those who lost their loved ones.

“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. The local administration is engaged in helping the victims in every possible way. In this regard, I have spoken to Chief Minister Yogi ji and I am constantly in touch with the state government,” he said in a post on X.

The stampede reportedly occurred between 1.30 am and 2.30 am on Wednesday. Since then, Modi has been constantly reviewing the situation making four calls to the UP CM.

Catch Live updates from the
Maha Kumbh stampede here

So what happened at the Maha Kumbh Mela? What went wrong? We try to get you answers.

Sometime around 1.30 am and 2.30 am, an unexpected surge of people unexpectedly converged at Triveni Sangam Ghat. Officials and organisers had expected a huge crowd on Wednesday (January 29), as it is the day of Amrit Snan. Moreover, this holy occasion assumed even more significance as it fell on the special day of Mauni Amavasya.

Organisers had prepared for a huge influx of devotees today — around 10 crore of them — and had issued an advisory to the devotees, urging them to follow crowd-management guidelines for safety and convenience.

As per the guidelines, pilgrims were told to use designated lanes to the Sangam Ghat and maintain queues while approaching the bathing area. They were also asked to avoid roaming around the ghats after the holy dip and urged to immediately proceed to the parking areas or their destinations to ensure smooth movement.

However, it all turned disastrous early Wednesday morning. According to some media outlets, the stampede occurred when a barrier broke as tens of thousands of people thronged the Triveni Sangam. This led some women to faint, eventually leading to a stampede-like situation.

However, there are varying reports as to what exactly happened. According to Vivek Mishra, who was present at the time of the crowd rush, told Hindustan Times, “The incident happened around 2.30 am when a large number of devotees arrived at the Sangam banks. The main issue was that the crowd didn’t know where to go after bathing. Many people were carrying heavy luggage on their heads, and there were numerous iron dustbins that pilgrims couldn’t see.

“A few people lost their balance and fell, and their luggage was scattered all over. I also fell after my feet got stuck in one of the dustbins, lost my shoes, and was left barefoot. I injured my feet. I somehow got up and helped my parents and another woman who were lying on the ground. That’s when the youngsters in the crowd started pushing others, leading to the stampede. I can’t fully describe what I saw at ground zero.”

Another eyewitness to the disaster, Ram Singh, shared his version of the events. The Fatehpur resident said that the stampede-like situation occurred because the exit route was blocked and the crowd got trapped.

“The exit route was completely blocked, so the situation worsened. Four of our group had already gone ahead, and we had told them to stay at Nandni Dwar. The four of us got stuck behind. A lot of people were falling in front of us. The stampede happened because the road was jammed,” he was quoted as saying.

Baljeet Singh from Balia described the moment chaos unfolded. “Suddenly, there was such a huge crowd that everyone got crushed. There were 14 of us, and we couldn’t even tell where anyone had gone. We were going for the bath, and people were coming back from there. We didn’t even realise how the crowd got so large, and then people started falling.”

A weeping Sarojini from Karnataka, who had been rushed to hospital after the incident, said, “We came in a batch of 60 people in two buses. We were nine people in the group. Suddenly there was pushing in the crowd, and we got trapped. A lot of us fell and the crowd went uncontrolled. There was no chance for escape, there was pushing from all sides.”

Umesh Agarwal, a devotee from Delhi, told the BBC that there were many sleeping near the barricades where the Amrit Snan was to take place. “That’s how some people got entangled and because there was such a big crowd, they started falling on top of each other.”

The situation at Sangam is now under control. In a media briefing, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath did not mention any deaths.

“The incident happened between 1am and 2am. There were barricades that devotees tried to cross and got injured. Our entire administration is present at the scene. Some people have been seriously injured while trying to cross the barricades,” the CM said, adding that a large number of devotees have been coming since the Mauni Amavasya mahurat started last night.

“The PM has taken stock of the situation four times till now. Union Home Minister Amit Shah and Governor Anandiben Patel are also continuously taking reports of the situation,” he added.

According to Aditiyanath, around eight to 10 crore devotees are present in Prayagraj today (January 29). “There is continuous pressure due to the movement of devotees towards the Sangam Nose.”

Following the tragic stampede, officials rushed in to stretcher away those who were hurt and to control the situation.

To restore normalcy, a Rapid Action Force unit, a special team deployed during crises, was deployed. Several ambulances at the Kumbh ferried injured passengers to hospital. News18 reports that a green corridor has been established to transfer the injured devotees to the central hospital.

CM Adityanath asked pilgrims at the Kumbh Mela to follow instructions issued by officials at the site and cooperate with them. He wrote on X, “Maha Kumbh-2025, dear devotees come to Prayagraj, Take bath at the ghat of Mother Ganga near which you are, do not try to go towards Sangam Nose. All of you should follow the instructions of the administration and cooperate in making arrangements. People are bathing peacefully at all the ghats of Sangam. Do not pay any attention to any rumours.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi is in touch with the CM and has directed him to arrange immediate relief measures. Home Minister Amit Shah has also assured Adityanath of full support in times of this crisis.

The situation is under control, say authorities.Speaking to ANI, DIG Mahakumbh Vaibhav Krishna said that more than 10 crore devotees are expected to visit Kumbh Mela today and added that the crowd is under control.

“We expect more than 10 crore people today… All our officials and personnel have been deployed for crowd regulation since yesterday evening. People are bathing at all the ghats here peacefully… In the morning, there was pressure and a huge crowd. Many Akharas told us to regulate the crowd and that they would come out for the snan later,” Krishna said.

Following the stampede, the seers from the different
akharas had called off their scheduled Amrit Snan. However, it has now been resumed. The saints started their procession to the Triveni Sangam Ghat for the second holy dip.

Keeping with the Kumbh Mela tradition, the Akharas of the three sects ‘Sanyasi, Bairagi, and Udaseen’ took the holy dip in Triveni Sangam in a set sequence.

About 3.61 crore devotees also took a dip until 10 am.

Today was a significant day at the Maha Kumbh Mela — it was the day of the ‘
Amrit Snan’. This gained even more significance this time around as it falls on Mauni Amavasya, the most auspicious date as it is believed that on this day, the water of the holy rivers turns into ‘Amrit.’

For this purpose, the Maha Kumbh Mela organisers had extra precautions implemented. This included implementing stringent security measures, using AI-powered surveillance, drone monitoring, and increased police presence.