Prayagraj: A day after a stampede at the Mahakumbh claimed at least 30 lives and left over 60 injured, some devotees remain missing.
Among them is 62-year-old Meera Singh. Her relative, 24-year-old Shishir Singh, has been desperately searching for her since they were separated in the chaos.
“I was there at 1 am when the stampede took place,” Singh told ThePrint. “One moment, we were bathing in the river. The next moment we saw people pushing each other and it was chaos.”
Singh visited multiple temporary medical stations set up across the Mela grounds, only to be redirected from one to another.
He then went to the government hospital in Sector 2, where most stampede victims were first taken before being transferred to specialised hospitals across the city for further treatment.
The authorities have also set up lost and found centres at the mela ground to assist those searching for loved ones.
“They checked their lists, but she isn’t here either,” said Singh. “I don’t know why she wanted to bathe in the Sangam, she could have gone to any of the ghats. She is too old to be doing all this.”
The Triveni Sangam, where the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati rivers meet, is considered sacred by devotees. Many believe that bathing in its waters can cleanse sins and lead to moksha (spiritual liberation).
Manoj Lal, a devotee from Karnataka, told ThePrint that after traveling all the way for the Kumbh Mela, taking a dip in the Sangam is a must.
“We have walked close to 30 km today,” said Lal. “Why should we not get a chance to visit the Sangam just because of the stampede yesterday?”
The traffic restrictions imposed after the stampede forced lakhs of devotees to walk to the Mela.
With buses, cars, and autos banned from entering the Mela area, vehicles were stuck in bumper-to-bumper traffic at multiple points on the outskirts of Prayagraj.
The site of the stampede has been cleared.
The shoes, bags, clothes, and other personal belongings left behind have been cleared away, leaving no trace of the chaos that unfolded.
The stampede was caused by a surge in devotees around the Sangam area, all attempting to bathe during ‘brahm muhurt’, a period before sunrise that is considered auspicious.
Barricades broke down under the crowd pressure, causing people to fall over and crush others.
An increase in security around the Sangam area is visible.
Uttar Pradesh Police and the Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) have been deployed at regular intervals, guiding devotees toward the exit after their ritual dip.
A CRPF official told ThePrint that he was stationed there only that day and did not witness the stampede.
“We have a day shift and a night shift. Also, they keep on re-assigning us to different zones, so this is the first time I am near the Sangam area,” he said.
The UP administration issued a set of directives Thursday to increase security in the Mela. All VVIP passes were cancelled and the entire Mahakumbh area was declared as a no-vehicle zone.
At a press conference following the stampede, Vaibhav Krishna, DIG Mahakumbh, said, “We are making arrangements for the upcoming Amrit Snan (3 February) on Vasant Panchami and movement of pilgrims. Keeping that in mind, duties are being strengthened. Just like no VIP movement was allowed on 29 January, no VIP movement will be allowed on 3 February. Our personnel are geared up for crowd management”.
Also read: I saw a Maha Kumbh stampede in the making during the first Shahi Snan