Indian authorities have launched a judicial inquiry into a stampede at the Maha Kumbh Mela Hindu festival that claimed the lives of dozens of devotees on Wednesday. The tragic incident occurred as millions of pilgrims gathered to take a \"holy dip\" in the sacred confluence of three rivers, marking one of the most significant days in the six-week-long event.
Police officials reported that 30 people were killed and 90 injured in the chaos, but sources indicate that the death toll may be nearly 40. Witnesses described a massive surge towards the riverbanks that led to devotees falling onto each other. Others recounted that the closure of certain routes caused a bottleneck, leaving the dense crowd immobilized and leading to suffocation.
\"The government has decided that a judicial inquiry of the incident will be conducted. For this, we have formed a three-member judicial commission,\" Uttar Pradesh state Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath announced to reporters late on Wednesday. \"The commission will examine the entire matter and submit its report to the state government within a stipulated time frame,\" he added.
Officials stated that more than 76 million people took a dip at the sacred site in Prayagraj, located in the northern state of Uttar Pradesh, by 8 p.m. on Wednesday alone. Since the festival began two weeks ago, nearly 280 million participants have attended, including federal ministers, industrialists, and celebrities.
The Maha Kumbh Mela, held every 12 years, is the world's largest human gathering and is expected to attract around 400 million devotees in 2025. For context, the Haj pilgrimage in Saudi Arabia drew 1.8 million people last year. Devout Hindus believe that bathing at the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati rivers absolves them of sins and grants salvation from the cycle of rebirth.
Opposition leaders have criticized the incident, attributing the stampede to mismanagement and calling on the government to enhance festival arrangements. Local media echoed these concerns on Thursday, emphasizing the need for improved crowd planning to prevent such tragedies.
\"There is much scope for improving crowd management at the Kumbh,\" stated an editorial in the Hindustan Times. \"There is no doubt that more personnel need to be deployed, and better planning is required—utilizing both ground resources and modern technology.\" The editorial stressed that measures must be taken to prevent a recurrence of such incidents during the three remaining 'royal dips' scheduled in the coming weeks.
While devotees take holy dips daily, certain dates are considered particularly sacred, known as 'royal dips.' Wednesday was one such auspicious day, with three more to follow before the festival concludes.
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India orders probe into Hindu festival stampede that killed dozens
cgtn.com
