Despite a massive Rs.7,500 crore budget for the much-anticipated 45-day Maha Kumbh Melathe pre-dawn stampede in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj on January 29, which left 30 dead, points to gross mismanagement of an event described by the government as the world’s biggest religious gathering.
While eyewitnesses blamed a deadly combination of abysmal planning, critics have implicated the “culture of VIP entitlement” for the fatal crowd rush on the river bank. Some 10 crore pilgrims are believed to have participated in the mela on the auspicious Mauni Amavasya on January 29, the day of the tragedy.
After initial reluctance, the Yogi Adityanath government admitted to lapses and ordered a judicial inquiry. The stampede took place after a few barricades in the Akhara area were broken at 2 am, the Deputy Inspector General (DIG), Maha Kumbh Nagar Mela Area, Vaibhav Krishna, told the media in the evening. “Many devotees resting on the ghat while waiting for the Brahma Muhurt, became victims of the accident,” he said. Of the 30 dead, 25 have been identified; another 60 injured are being treated at a hospital, the DIG said.
Eyewitness accounts, corroborated by disturbing footage, reveal that most pontoon (floating) bridges were closed before the Amrit snan (holy dip) ritual, causing a massive crush of people. In the chaos that ensued, many are believed to have jumped off the bridge in a desperate bid to save themselves. The crowd eventually dispersed, and pilgrims began their frantic search for loved ones who had gone missing, looking among lifeless bodies, as their cries rent the air.
In a reflection of flagrant mismanagement, the injured were transported to a hospital after massive delays, and the bodies of the deceased were left on the ground for hours. Prayagraj Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant alerted devotees before the stampede broke out. A video shows him instructing the pilgrims through a public address system to “get up”: “Those who sleep, lose; those who stay awake, gain,” he said.
Also Read | Mela for politics
This Kumbh was considered particularly special as it coincided with a “Triveni Yog”, a rare celestial alignment, which took place after 144 years on January 29. A dip in the confluence of rivers at this time, some Hindus believe, could wash away their sins and lead to moksha—freedom from the cycle of life and death.
Despite the crush of people, a press note issued by the Union Ministry of Information and Broadcasting states that crores of devotees took a dip at Sangam on the day. “This was the first time that the Saints, Naga Sannyasis, and Akhadas broke the historic tradition of performing their first dip at the Sangam. In light of the circumstances, the Akhadas postponed their Brahma Muhurat Amrit Snan and allowed the devotees to take the first dip,” the statement read, underscoring “unprecedented security arrangements” to ensure a smooth Amrit snan.
A smooth ride for VIPs
The Uttar Pradesh police claimed to have deployed aquatic surveillance for added protection, along with artificial intelligence (AI)-driven systems such as a chatbot offering multilingual instructions and an integration with Google Maps to help visitors navigate the vast Mela grounds at Sangam.
But several devotees claimed that while common people walked 15-20 km to reach the site, VIPs drove up in their vehicles to the ghats, inconveniencing the public. Swami Anand Swaroop Maharaj, president of the Shankaracharya Parishad and Shankaracharya Trust, raised concerns about the VIP culture at the Kumbh Mela just days before the incident. In a video message, he criticised the frequent closure of routes to the ghats, highlighting how the constant influx of VIPs forced ordinary devotees to wait for hours. “We have never witnessed such a situation before,” he remarked, urging VIPs to visit the mela on a designated day to ease the burden on the public.
Devotees leave after attending the Maha Kumbh Mela as belongings of stampede victims lie on the ground, a day after a deadly stampede, in Prayagraj on January 30, 2025.
| Photo Credit:
ADNAN ABIDI/REUTERS
“The frequent movement of VIPs at the site is directly responsible for this tragedy. While lower-level police officials will likely face consequences, the broader issues remain unaddressed,” Vibhuti Narain Rai, author and former DGP of Uttar Pradesh, told Frontline.
Reflecting on his time as Senior Superintendent of Police of Allahabad (as Prayagraj was formerly called) during the 1979 Kumbh Mela, he recalled how the then-Chief Minister Narain Datt Tiwari had ordered that no minister would be allowed special protocols or security during the mela. “This time, however, photo ops took place daily. Adityanath himself visited the site 10-12 times, along with his Cabinet colleagues, to take credit. Even Home Minister Amit Shah made a visit for photo opportunities.”
Call for Army intervention
Meanwhile, opposition leaders demanded the immediate handover of the Maha Kumbh administration and management to the Army. Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and president of the Samajwadi Party, the main opposition party, Akhilesh Yadav, has urged those who falsely claimed a “world-class system” at the Kumbh Mela to take moral responsibility and resign from their positions. “To restore faith in the system among the saint community and devotees who came to the Maha Kumbh, it is essential that the administration and management be immediately handed over to the army instead of the UP government,” Yadav stated in a strongly worded post on X.
He added that “[S]urveillance should be enhanced by helicopter to prevent such incidents in the future”, and demanded a system be put in place to identify the deceased and return their bodies to their families.
“Post-Independence, the Kumbh Mela emerged as a platform for Hindutva movements. The Vishva Hindu Parishad was established during the Haridwar Kumbh Mela in 1964.”
Congress State president Ajay Rai criticised the Adityanath government too: “The government squandered public funds on branding and marketing instead of using [it] for the public’s benefit.” Congress leader Rahul Gandhi posted on X: “Mismanagement and administration’s special focus on VIP movement instead of common devotees are responsible for this tragic incident.” There are “many more Maha snans” to take place, and the government “should improve the system” to prevent another similar tragic incident from taking place, he said. “VIP culture should be curbed and the government should make better arrangements to meet the needs of common devotees.”
The Communist Party of India (Marxist-Leninist) Liberation State secretary Sudhakar Yadav feared that the death toll could be higher than reported. “To cover up its failure, the administration has been withholding accurate information about the casualties. The ‘Yogi-Modi’ government was more focussed on taking credit for organising the Maha Kumbh than on ensuring proper arrangements for the devotees coming to Sangam city. They are playing with the lives of pilgrims for political gain,” he said.
Kumbh Mela: A political platform
Recognising the scale of the Kumbh Mela, and its massive significance among a section of people, political leaders and activists have long used it as a platform to promote their ideas. In January 1915, Mahatma Gandhi made his first major public appearance at the Haridwar Kumbh Mela after returning from South Africa. Similarly, Arya Samaj founder Dayanand Saraswati met the leaders of the 1857 uprising. The Prayag Kumbh Mela also played a pivotal role in India’s freedom struggle as it emerged as a meeting point for revolutionaries.
Post-Independence, the Kumbh Mela emerged as a platform for Hindutva movements. The Vishva Hindu Parishad was established during the Haridwar Kumbh Mela in 1964.
Also Read | Project Hindutva
More recently, Prime Minister Narendra Modi, in a 2019 rally in Uttar Pradesh’s Kaushambi accused the Congress and then Prime Minister Jawaharlal Nehru of insensitivity in their handling of the Prayag Kumbh Mela of 1954, where a reported 300 people died. Comparing the arrangements made by the BJP government in 2019, he claimed that the media suppressed news of the 1954 tragedy to protect the government’s image.
Meanwhile, Adityanath has projected the ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela as a major economic boon, which is likely to generate Rs.2 lakh crore in revenue for the State. In recent interviews from Prayagraj, Adityanath called the event a symbol of India’s unity and integrity. However, critics argue that his characterisation of the event, primarily attended by Hindus, as a symbol of national unity corroborates his “Batoge to katoge (if you stand divided, you will be slayed)” slogan, which aligns with his aggressive Hindutva politics.
In December 2024, Adityanath ordered financial assistance to the tune of Rs.2 lakh for the families of those who lost their lives in the Kannauj Road accident on the Lucknow-Agra Expressway. In contrast, he has announced a significantly higher ex gratia of Rs.25 lakh for the families of those killed in the Kumbh Mela stampede. This sum happens to be equivalent to the compensation provided to the family of policemen who die in the line of duty during a road accident in Uttar Pradesh.
