Police personnel keep vigil as part of safety precautions the day after a stampede at Kumbh Mela in Prayagraj on Thursday. PTI Photo
Kumbh Mela LIVE | UP chief secy, DGP at the spot for post-stampede review
Five special secretary-level officers are being assigned to oversee operations and they will remain in Prayagraj until Feb 12 to assist in streamlining the arrangements
Following the stampede at the Maha Kumbh on Wednesday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath issued a slew of guidelines on crowd management, traffic flow, prevention of build-up of devotees and coordination among departments.
The administration has implemented five major changes, including declaring the entire fair area a No-Vehicle Zone. Besides, no special passes will allow vehicle entry, eliminating any exceptions.
The chief minister ordered the deployment of Ashish Goyal, who served as Divisional Commissioner of Prayagraj during Kumbh 2019, and Bhanu Goswami, a former Vice Chairman of ADA, to further strengthen the arrangements, according to an official statement.
Adityanath asked the chief secretary and the director general of police to conduct a thorough review of the Maha Kumbh Mela arrangements on Thursday. "Every aspect related to security and public convenience must be carefully examined to ensure seamless arrangements for Basant Panchami," he said.
He said the incumbent ADG and the District Magistrate of Prayagraj must ensure safe and smooth departure of every devotee.
Five Special Secretary-level officers are being assigned to oversee operations, according to the government statement.
It said they will remain in Prayagraj until February 12 to assist in streamlining the arrangements. Moreover, Superintendent of Police-level officers will also be deployed for enhanced management and security, the statement said.
At least 30 people were killed and 60 injured in a pre-dawn stampede at the Sangam area of the Maha Kumbh Wednesday as millions of pilgrims jostled for space to take a holy dip on the occasion of one of the most auspicious days of Mauni Amavasya.
In light of the tragedy, the chief minister conducted a late-night video conference with senior police officers and officials from multiple districts including Prayagraj, Kaushambi, Varanasi, Ayodhya, Mirzapur, Basti, Jaunpur, Chitrakoot, Banda, Ambedkarnagar, Pratapgarh, Sant Kabir Nagar, Bhadohi, Rae Bareli and Gorakhpur.
After reviewing updates from the ADG and the District Magistrate of Prayagraj, the CM emphasised the need for heightened vigilance and caution in the mela area, according to the official statement.
The incident comes days after a massive fire reduced at least 18 tents to ashes at the fair following a cylinder blast.
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Live Updates
- 29 Jan 2025 9:22 AM GMT
Dhankhar condoles loss of lives
Vice President Jagdeep Dhankhar has expressed grief at the stampede at Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj and prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
“I am deeply saddened by the tragic accident that took place at Prayagraj Maha Kumbh. I express my condolences to the bereaved families of the devotees who lost their loved ones in the accident,” he said in a post on X.
The Vice-President also prayed for the speedy recovery of the injured.
- 29 Jan 2025 9:19 AM GMT
Restrictions for VIP visits lead to such tragedies: Shiv Sena (UBT)
The Shiv Sena (UBT) has sought to know who was responsible for the stampede at the Maha Kumbh, and claimed that closure of certain parts of the riverbank for visits by ministers leads to such situations.
A day should be reserved for visits by VIPs, said the party’s Rajya Sabha member Sanjay Raut, adding that more than Rs 10,000 crore have been spent for the management of Maha Kumbh at Prayagraj.
“Where did the money go? The BJP has been doing political campaigning through the Kumbh. It wants to market the Kumbh and contest polls. This is not their faith but politics, and people lose their lives,” Raut said, adding that the deaths in the early morning stampede were a “murder by the state administration”.
When Defence Minister Rajnath Singh visited the Maha Kumbh, a ghat was closed for a day, and when Home Minister Amit Shah visited, the entire Prayagraj was closed, the Sena (UBT) leader claimed. “This adds to the pressure on the system, and this leads to crowding, and then a stampede takes place,” Raut said.
Kumbh is not “event management” but it is a matter of faith, Raut said, taking a jibe at the BJP. He also said people still remember the excellent management of the Maha Kumbh that took place when Akhilesh Yadav was chief minister from 2012 to 2017. Crores of people are visiting Prayagraj on Wednesday but there is no proper arrangement, he said.
- 29 Jan 2025 9:16 AM GMT
Hemant Soren expresses sadness over stampede
Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren has offered his condolences to pilgrims who lost their family members in the stampede at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj.
He also wished for speedy recovery to those injured in the tragic incident.
“My condolences and prayers are with the bereaved pilgrim families. I wish for a speedy recovery to those injured in this tragic incident,” the CM posted on X.
Soren hoped that the Union government would investigate the incident thoroughly and take necessary steps to prevent such accidents in the future.
“We all must learn from such tragedies and ensure proper safety arrangements in the future so that such incidents do not happen again,” he said.
- 29 Jan 2025 9:10 AM GMT
Hand over Kumbh management to Army: Akhilesh
Opposition leaders in Uttar Pradesh, including SP president Akhilesh Yadav, on Wednesday targeted the Yogi Adityanath government over the stampede at the Maha Kumbh, saying it highlighted the failure of the state government.
Yadav demanded that those who claimed "world-class arrangements" in the Maha Kumbh should resign from their posts taking moral responsibility for the stampede.
"In order to re-establish faith in the system among the saint community and devotees who have come to the Maha Kumbh, it is necessary that the administration and management of the Maha Kumbh should be immediately handed over to the army instead of the UP government," he said on X.
"Now that the truth of the claims of making world class arrangements has come out in front of everyone, those who were claiming and spreading false propaganda about it should resign from their posts taking moral responsibility for the people killed in this accident," he said.
“The news of casualties of devotees in the mismanagement accident in Maha Kumbh is very sad,” Yadav said in another post on X.
He said air ambulances should be deployed to transport those seriously injured and called for “swift arrangements to identify the deceased and return their bodies to their families”.
Yadav emphasised the need for enhanced surveillance at the event, particularly through helicopters, to maintain order and security.
He also appealed to devotees to remain patient and calm during this difficult time and asked the government to learn from the incident to improve future arrangements for pilgrims.
- 29 Jan 2025 8:18 AM GMT
Amit Shah: 'Deeply saddened by tragic accident'
"I am deeply saddened by the tragic accident that took place at Maha Kumbh. I express my condolences to those who have lost their loved ones in this incident. May God give them the strength to bear this sorrow. The administration is treating the injured in hospitals. I am in constant touch with the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh and the local administration," Union Home Minister Amit Shah wrote on 'X' in Hindi.
