New Delhi: It is deeply saddening that 11 devotees from Bihar lost their lives prematurely in the unfortunate (stampede) incident at the Prayagraj Mahakumbh in Uttar Pradesh, wrote Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar on X. He pointed out that 4 of the victims were from Gopalganj district, 2 from Aurangabad district, 1 each from Patna, Muzaffarpur, Supaul, Banka, and West Champaran districts of Bihar.
“Directions have been issued that the families of the deceased from Bihar are provided with a relief grant of Rs 2 lakh, and the injured devotees are given Rs 50,000 from the Chief Minister’s Relief Fund, the CM pointed out. He also extended his heartfelt condolences to the bereaved families and wished for the speedy recovery of the injured devotees.
उत्तर प्रदेश के प्रयागराज महाकुंभ में हुई दुर्भाग्यपूर्ण घटना में बिहार के गोपालगंज जिले के 04, औरंगाबाद जिले के 02, पटना जिले के 01, मुजफ्फरपुर जिले के 01, सुपौल जिले के 01, बांका जिले के 01, प॰ चंपारण जिले के 01, कुल 11 श्रद्धालुओं का असामयिक निधन अत्यंत दुःखद। इस…
— Nitish Kumar (@NitishKumar) February 1, 2025
Overcrowding resulted in the stampede
As many as 30 people died and over 60 others were left injured in the pre-dawn stampede that broke out on Wednesday (January 29). The stampede occurred when devotees started thronging on the Sangam Nose since 7.35pm on Tuesday, the time when the mahurat for Mauni Amawasya started. The crowd swelled at the Sangam Nose and turned into a sea of humanity by 2am on Wednesday. The overcrowding led to the unfortunate incident.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered a judicial investigation into the stampede. He also announced Rs 25 lakh compensation for the families of the deceased. After the incident, spiritual leaders exhorted the pilgrims and devotees to not insist on bathing only in the Sangam, and take a holy dip at any of the ghats nearest to them.
Meanwhile, security has been increased and crowd control measures at the ghats have been strengthened to prevent overcrowding, as 4 to 5 crore devotees are expected to take a holy dip for the Basant Panchami sacred bathing ritual. On Saturday, police rolled out a slew of new measures to streamline the movement of pilgrims, chalking out a strict route plan. On Saturday, Adityanath carried out an aerial survey of the Mela area. He also took stock of the arrangements for Basant Panchmi and assessed the traffic conditions to ensure seamless movement of pilgrims.
