India Probes Deadly Stampede at Maha Kumbh Mela Festival 🙏🏽
In a tragic turn of events, a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela—the world's largest human gathering—led to the loss of dozens of lives on Wednesday. As millions of devotees flocked to the sacred rivers for a \"holy dip,\" chaos ensued, resulting in heartbreak and calls for action.
Officials reported that at least 30 people lost their lives, with over 90 injured, but some sources suggest the death toll could be nearly 40. Witnesses described a massive push towards the rivers causing people to fall and suffocate amidst the overwhelming crowd.
Responding swiftly, Uttar Pradesh's Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced a judicial inquiry into the incident. \"We have formed a three-member judicial commission to look into the entire matter and submit its report within a time limit,\" he stated.
Despite the tragedy, the festival saw an astonishing 76 million people take a dip at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati rivers in Prayagraj on Wednesday alone. Over the past two weeks, nearly 280 million pilgrims, including politicians, industrialists, and celebrities, have participated in the six-week-long event.
The Maha Kumbh Mela, held every 12 years, is expected to draw an estimated 400 million devotees in 2025. For comparison, last year's Haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia attracted 1.8 million people.
Devout Hindus believe that bathing in the sacred waters cleanses sins and leads to salvation from the cycle of life and death. However, the recent stampede has sparked criticism from opposition leaders who blame mismanagement for the tragedy. Local media echoed these sentiments, urging for better crowd planning to prevent future incidents.
The Hindustan Times highlighted the need for improved measures, stating, \"There is much scope for improving crowd management at the Kumbh. More personnel need to be deployed, and better planning is required—using both ground resources and modern technology.\"
With three more 'royal dips'—considered particularly sacred—scheduled before the festival concludes, authorities are under pressure to enhance safety measures and ensure such a tragedy does not repeat.
As India mourns, the hope is that lessons learned will lead to safer celebrations in the future, honoring traditions while protecting the faithful. 💔🙏🏽
Reference(s):
India orders probe into Hindu festival stampede that killed dozens
cgtn.com
