During the Mahakumbh in Prayagraj, many people died and dozens of people were injured when a stampede occurred on the night of 29 January. According to official data, 30 people died and more than 60 people were injured in the accident. However, according to unconfirmed sources, the death toll can be between 40 and 50.
How did a stampede?
According to eyewitnesses, the stampede occurred when the devotees broke the barricades and proceeded to reach the confluence. On seeing this, people started falling on each other, causing the situation to become uncontrollable. Saurabh Singh, present in Mahakumbh, told,
“At around 1:45 pm, I saw that people were going on pressing in the stampede. Hundreds of people were lying on the ground shortly after. “
Similarly, Indra Shekhar, who reached the spot shortly after the accident, said,
“Hundreds of people were being taken to stretcher. Many ambulances were taking the injured to the hospital. If there was enough police force for mob control and better barricading arrangements were made, this accident could have been avoided. ”
Questions raised on administration
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that the stampede occurred when the devotees were trying to get ripped over the barricade. At the same time, many people allege that 28 Pipa bridges leading to the river were closed due to the VIP movement, causing the crowd to become more uncontrollable.
History of stampede in religious events
This is not the first time that there has been a loss of life and property due to stampede in religious events. Even before this, similar incidents have taken place –
- Hundreds of people have died in the Kumbh fairs of 2003, 2010 and 2013.
- In July 2024, more than 120 people died due to stampede in the satsang of a self -proclaimed Baba in Hathras, Uttar Pradesh.
According to experts, stampede is caused by rush control failure, rumors and nervousness.
What were the arrangements for mob control?
Several security arrangements were made in view of the arrival of estimated 40-45 crore devotees in Mahakumbh, including-which included-
More than 2700 CCTV cameras, including over 300 AI were equipped with AI.
Drone surveillance was deployed for mob control.
More than 40,000 policemen were deployed to maintain the system.
Devotees were given bands in the wrist for real-time tracking.
Despite technology, crowd control was failed
Former police officer Yashovardhan Azad says that advanced techniques like AI also did not succeed in crowd control. They said,
“The crowd cannot be controlled by technology. This requires new thinking and methods. “
What could have been done?
According to crowd control experts, to avoid accident –
- There should have been a system to pursue the crowd in a phased manner.
- The boundary of crowd density should have been strictly implemented.
- Devotees should have given more routes to reach the confluence.
