New Delhi: Accused of suppressing the number of casualties in the Maha Kumbh Mela stampede, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Adityanath has stuck to his guns and said that only 30 persons were killed due to the rush near the Sangam nose in Prayagraj on Mauni Amavasya (January 29). However, Adityanath acknowledged that seven others were killed in a similar incident in another area of the mela on the said day. This means the official death count in the Kumbh stampedes stood at 37.
Adityanath presented the numbers before the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on February 19 during the budget session after Opposition leaders demanded a debate on the alleged mismanagement of the Mela and the cover-up of deaths due to the stampede.
The Uttar Pradesh chief minister not only attributed the deaths to the high pressure of the large crowd assembled at the mela on the special bathing day of Mauni Amavasya but also went as far back as the 1954 Maha Kumbh Mela, to deflect criticism.
“Those who say thousands died in the stampede should also look at the 1954 Kumbh Mela when 800 people died,” Adityanath said, adding that the stampede took place despite the presence of the then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru and then President Rajendra Prasad at the mela a day before the incident.
Adityanath informed the Assembly that 30 persons were killed due to the stampede that was triggered after barricades near the Sangam collapsed due to mounting pressure from the crowd. He claimed that at the time of the incident the Mela area was packed with five crore people. The city of Prayagraj, with a carrying capacity of just 25 lakh, was also packed, he said.
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Out of the 30 dead, 29 had been identified. One of the victims was not identified. The DNA of the body was preserved and the final rites were carried out by the administration, said Adityanath. Thirty-six were injured in the incident. Of these, 35 have been discharged and returned home, while one is still receiving treatment, he said.
Significantly, Adityanath also said that 30-35 persons were also injured in other places in Prayagraj. “Pressure points were building up in other places in Prayagraj as well,” he said. Seven persons died while being taken to the hospital or in hospital, he added, acknowledging at least two stampedes on Mauni Amavasya.
Responding to some Opposition leaders including West Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee’s criticism that bodies of the dead were sent back home without conducting their post-mortem, Adityanath said it was done with the “consent” of the kin. “People have their traditions and faith. They said, ‘Don’t do a post-mortem. The incident has happened. We just want a panchnama’,” Adityanath mentioned.
He said the formalities were carried out in the presence of the kin of the victims, a magistrate, police and administration.
Opposition party MLAs cornered the government over the alleged appeasement of elites and allocating resources for VVIPs in accessing the ghats for holy dips in the mela at the expense of the common pilgrim. Adityanath downplayed this, like all other allegations.
“They talk of a VIP culture. But they are those born with a silver spoon who have reaped the services of VIP facilities all their lives. If there was a VIP culture in the Kumbh, would 56 crore people take a holy dip at the triveni in 38 days,” asked Adityanath.
