Prayagraj, Jan 29 : At least 30 devotees died and 60 others injured in a stampede after barricades collapsed on the Sangam bank at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj early on Wednesday, a senior police officer said here.

Deputy Inspector General of Police (Kumbh) Vaibhav Krishna said that the incident took place between 1 am and 2 am when the barricades installed in the Akhara area gave way leading to chaos among the people waiting for the ‘Brahma Muhurat’ for taking holy dip.

President Droupadi Murmu taking to ‘X’ said, “The stampede incident at Prayagraj Maha Kumbh is extremely sad. I express my condolences to the families of the injured devotees and pray to God that all the injured devotees recover soon.”

Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who was in constant touch with the state government, condoled the loss of lives in the incident.

Taking to X, the PM wrote, “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.

I have spoken to Chief Minister Yogi ji in this regard and I am constantly in touch with the state government.”

The DIG said that the barricades broke due to extreme pressure from the crowd on the other side. “Devotees, who were sleeping or waiting for the Brahma Muhurta on the other side of the barricades, were crushed by the crowd coming from the other side due to chaos,” he said.

Krishna said that rescue and relief work was launched immediately. 90 people were injured in the incident and were taken to the hospital with the help of ambulances by creating a green corridor of which 30 died unfortunately.

Krishna said that rescue and relief work was launched immediately. 90 people were injured in the incident and were taken to the hospital with the help of ambulances by creating a green corridor.

“So far 25 deceased have been identified and efforts are on to identify others. 36 devotees are being treated at the local medical college. Some of the deceased were from other states like four from Karnataka and one each from Assam and Gujarat,” he said.

The DIG also said that the list of the deceased will be shared later. “Some of the deceased have been taken by their family members. The administration has issued a helpline number 1920 on which devotees, whose family members are missing, can contact. At present the situation is normal,” he said.

Krishna said that for the convenience of the devotees, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath talked to the saints and Mahamandaleshwars as Amrit Snan was to be held on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya and requested them to be a part of the ceremony. “The saints agreed due to which Amrit Snan was delayed and it was held later safe and sound,” he said.

The DIG clarified that no VIP protocol was followed on Wednesday due to the strict directives of the government. “Similar provisions will be followed on Vasant Panchami,” he said.

Chief Mela Officer Vijay Kiran Anand said that it is the priority of the administration that the devotees reach their destinations safely after taking bath.

Earlier, Adityanath briefed Prime Minister Narendra Modi about the entire incident. Several rounds of the high level meetings were held at the CM’s residence to discuss urgent steps to tackle such incidents.

After the incident, Yogi had appealed to the people to offer prayers at the temple and take a bath near the ghats of the Ganga. He also urged the pilgrims to follow the instructions of the administration and cooperate with the authorities in making the arrangements, without paying attention to rumours.

Initially, the second Amrit Snan by the Akharas on the bank of the Sangam was cancelled following the stampede, but it resumed in the afternoon after the assurance of the local administration.

President of Akhil Bharatiye Akhara Parishad Mahant Ravindra Puri had said that the decision to cancel the Amrit Snan by the Akharas was taken in view of the stampede near the Sangam bank due to the heavy turnout of devotees. He said the situation can worsen if Akharas go there.

He said further action will be taken as per the situation and the Amrit Snan could be held in the afternoon if the situation normalised.

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said, “The accident that happened in the ongoing Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj is extremely painful. My deepest condolences to the bereaved families of those who have lost their loved ones in this accident. Along with this, I wish for the speedy recovery of all the injured.

Under the guidance of the Chief Minister, the Uttar Pradesh government and the local administration are providing all possible help to the victims.”

Briefing the media about the incident, the CM said that a few devotees sustained serious injuries in the stampede at the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj when they tried to surge ahead to Sangam Nose on the holy festival of Mauni Amavasya.

Yogi said the situation was completely under control and the bathing in Sangam is continuing uninterrupted and smoothly. He had appealed to the devotees to not pay attention to the rumours, and the administration has made adequate arrangements for their convenience.

“The devotees are appealed to cooperate with the administration and make this Maha Snan a success,” he added.

The CM said that strict action will be taken against those who spread rumours and negative information.

He said that there was a huge crowd of devotees in the Maha Kumbh. “About 8-10 crore devotees are present in Prayagraj today. About 5.5 crore devotees took the Maha Kumbh bath on Tuesday. There is a lot of pressure due to the devotees going to Sangam Nose. Some devotees were seriously injured while crossing the barricades on Akhara Marg between 1-2 o’clock at night. They have been immediately taken to the hospital,” he said.

Yogi said that the administration is continuously engaged at the local level to ensure the safe bathing of the devotees. “Prime Minister Modi has taken information from him about the devotees four times since this morning. BJP President JP Nadda, Union Home Minister Amit Shah, and Governor Anandiben Patel are also continuously taking information about the devotees since morning,” he said.

He said that the situation in Prayagraj is currently under control, but the crowd influx is very high. “I have also talked to the saints; they have very politely said that first the devotees will take a bath, and only after that will we go towards Sangam for bathing. All the Akharas agree to this,” he said.

It may be noted that around 10 crore people were expected to take a bath at Kumbh on Mauni Amavasya. According to official figures over 6.99 crore pilgrims have taken a holy dip at different ghats till 6 pm.

UNI AB CS GNK