Indra Shekhar Singh 
Prayagraj: Tragedy struck the Maha Kumbh on January 29 at the Sangam Ghat and Lower Sangam Road between 1.30 am and 3.30 am as a stampede injured hundreds and is feared to have killed several.
Sources at the Central Hospital at the Kumbh Mela and Swaroop Rani Government Hospital told this author that several are injured. The administration has not issued any official figures as it scrambles to regain control.
The Shahi Snan (or Amrit Snan) has been temporarily canceled.
A disaster waiting to happen
The seeds of this chaos were planted days ago when the police and Kumbh administration blocked over 28 pontoon bridges for the movement of Very Important Persons (or VIPs), forcing millions of pilgrims onto narrow roads. By January 28, this strange mobility plan had already caused mass suffering, with only one pontoon bridge open until noon – an impossible bottleneck for the ocean of devotees attempting to cross the Ganga.
A stampede nearly broke out at Sangam Ghat on January 28, fuelled by aggressive police crowd control.
A first-person account from this author on The Wire on the day had essayed exactly what was going on in greater detail.
But the real catastrophe came that night.
As evening fell, loudspeakers announced that the Mauni Amavasya tithi had begun, prompting even more devotees to move toward Sangam. However, many seasoned pilgrims knew that the most auspicious bathing time was actually early in the morning. Thousands chose to sleep near the ghats, hoping to take a dip at dawn and depart swiftly.
Then, at 1.30 am, a new wave of pilgrims arrived at the river, only to be forcibly pushed by the police into a narrow road leading to the Sangam. With access to 28 platoon bridges and multiple roads, this congestion was entirely avoidable. It is unclear why only a single path was open, leaving the massive crowd confused and trapped.
Panic set in. People’s screams could be heard in the surging crowd. The plight of sleeping devotees on the way as a wave of pilgrims rushed towards the narrow road is unknown as of now. In order to escape, some climbed poles, which also reportedly gave away under weight.
Mismanagement
It is not unlikely that the government, which has been highlighting the Maha Kumbh as a mark of its success, will offer a different picture of what transpired.
Many eyewitnesses told the author that the tragedy was a product of mismanagement which could be avoided if the political spectacle had been lessened. A group of young pilgrims from Haryana, who had been looking for the Triveni Sangam for three days, expressed their frustration:
“We had been been searching for the holy place for days. Now, when we finally reach, this disaster happens. We are going home. This is a bad omen,” one of them said.
Another woman from Maharashtra claimed the administration deliberately forced the crowd into a bottleneck:
“They wanted the AI cameras to capture a massive crowd so they could justify the fake numbers – ‘44 crore attendees’ and ‘10 crore for Mauni Amavasya.’ But at what cost?” she fumed.
‘Cleanup’
As of now, all devotees have been instructed to bathe at the nearest available ghat. The Sangam area has been sealed off. Reports suggest that the Shahi Snan might still proceed but only if no more deaths are reported. Meanwhile, the Agni Akhara is preparing for its ritual bath, and traffic to the Mela has been diverted, effectively locking out new arrivals.
This has been a Kumbh centred around VIP photo ops, public relations campaigns, and foreign delegations, while ordinary pilgrims were forgotten.
Tourism is welcome. But when faith becomes a marketing opportunity, disaster often follows. The Modi government has turned this Kumbh into a shining example of VIP culture and administrative failure.
The Kumbh Mela is a 144-year cycle, making this Shahi Snan particularly rare and sacred. It is ironic that those who claim to stand for Hindus have let political arrogance and mismanagement take over this day.
What needs to be done?
The government must publicly disclose the real death toll and provide an official list of victims. Key officials’ roles must be looked into and action must be taken against them, where applicable. The government must immediately announce financial compensation for the families of the dead and injured.
Future Kumbhs must resolve to prioritise devotees, not politicians.
A tragedy of this scale could have been easily prevented. But instead, the government has set a very different example.