New Delhi: At least a dozen people have died and several more injured in a stampede at the ongoing Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh. The incident has drawn severe criticism from opposition parties, who have called it a case of mismanagement on the part of the administration.
Congress senior leader Rahul Gandhi condemned the incident and accused the administration’s “special focus on VIP movement” instead of common devotees as the cause behind it.
“Mismanagement, mismanagement and the administration’s special focus on VIP movement instead of common devotees are responsible for this tragic incident. There is still a lot of time left for the Maha Kumbh, many more Mahasnans are to take place… VIP culture should be curbed and the government should make better arrangements to meet the needs of common devotees,” he said in Hindi, in a post on X.
‘Half-baked arrangements’
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge criticised the administration’s handling, alleging they were busier in “self-promotion” than in the management of the event.
“Half-baked arrangements, VIP movement, paying more attention to self-promotion than management and mismanagement is what is responsible for this. Despite spending thousands of crores of rupees, such arrangements are condemnable,” he said in Hindi on X.
Meanwhile, Congress veteran Pawan Khera pointed to chief minister Adityanath’s social media activities.
“Many people were injured in a stampede during Kumbh in the state, and the head of the state is presenting an example of Rajdharma by tweeting such nonsense 👇🏼,” he wrote, attaching the image of what is possibly a scheduled tweet from Adityanath’s account, extolling his government’s performance in the Kumbh.
Earlier, Khera wrote of the extent of crowding and pointed to “incomplete arrangements” as having caused the accident.
“There are still many Mahasnans left, in such a situation it is necessary that additional security forces be sent there and the movement of VVIPs should be stopped by giving the responsibility of conducting the fair to some other better administrator instead of Yogi Adityanath,” Khera said.
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav expressed grief over the incident calling out the Adityanath government of poor management. “If you (government) are spending thousands of crores (for Mahakumbh), at least make some proper arrangements,” he said, speaking to the media.
In a post on X, Yadav shared an image of the aftermath of the stampede and appealed to the government to provide speedy medical remedies to those injured in the stampede, use drones for surveillance and make better arrangements for the ‘Shahi Snan’ of Mauni Amavasya.
महाकुंभ में अव्यवस्थाजन्य हादसे में श्रद्धालुओं के हताहत होने का समाचार बेहद दुखद है। श्रद्धांजलि!
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‘Hand over to Army’
In another post, Yadav said that the management of the Maha Kumbh should be handed over the Army instead of the UP government “to re-instill faith in the system”. He added:
“Now that the truth behind the claims of ‘world-class system’ has been exposed, those who were making these claims and spreading false propaganda should take moral responsibility for the people killed in this accident and resign from their posts,” he wrote.
Earlier, Yadav had shared videos of thousands of devotees sleeping in the open, with the caption, “With the help of faith, rain basera” in an apparent dig at the lack of night shelters at the mega event.
Also read: Chaos at Kumbh Mela: A Tale of Mismanagement and Neglect
‘Administration is responsible’
Shiv Sena (UBT) leader Sanjay Raut, on being asked about the stampede, said that the ongoing Maha Kumbh was “nothing but a marketing gimmick of the BJP”.
“Lakhs of people attended but they wanted people to attend in crores. So, they kept marketing for it, inviting more and more people. Kumbh is a matter of faith. If you invite crores, what arrangements have been made for so many devotees there? Women are having to sleep on roads,” he said during a press conference, praising the former Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh for having better arrangements.
“During Akhilesh Yadav’s tenure, the arrangements at Kumbh were the best. When Union ministers & VIPs visit, it puts pressure on the system and the crowd naturally increases as well… That’s how the stampede happened. More than 10 people have died. The administration is responsible for these deaths,” he said.
Aam Aadmi Party convener Arvind Kejriwal, locked in battle against the Bharatiya Janata Party in Delhi which goes to polls on February 5, said that the stampede incident “is extremely sad.”
“I pray for the peace of the souls of the devotees who lost their lives in this accident. May God give strength to their families to bear this immense sorrow. A humble appeal to all devotees is to maintain patience and be cautious. Follow the instructions of the administration and take care of each other’s safety,” he wrote.
‘Planning and care’
Trinamool Congress chief and Bengal chief minister Mamata Banerjee said that “care must be maximal” in such situations.
She wrote on X:
“I am deeply saddened to learn of the tragic stampede at the Maha Kumbh, which has claimed at least 15 innocent lives. My thoughts and prayers are with the bereaved pilgrim families.
“My learning from our Gangasagar Mela is that planning and care must be maximal in matters relating to pilgrims’ lives in vast assemblies of people.
“Prayers for the departed souls.”
The Gangasagar Mela takes place at the point where the Ganga meets the Bay of Bengal on Makar Sankranti every year. It is not comparable in scale with the Maha Kumbh this year, but does see lakhs of visitors.
