By Sidhima Choudhary
On the most auspicious day of Maha Kumbh, more than a dozen people were killed in a pre-dawn stampede in Prayagraj on Wednesday. The incident occurred when the devotees gathered to take a holy dip in the sacred river water.
According to Reuters, a news agency, around 39 bodies were found in the morgue of a local hospital while an additional 60 people were injured. Indian authorities released an official statement regarding the possibility of a surge in the official death toll where the bodies are coming even after 12 hours of the incident.
The incident happened in pre-dawn, around 1km away from Prayagraj where the three holy rivers, Ganges, Yamuna and Saraswati meet. The stampede rushed the people sitting or resting alongside the riverbanks reporting chaos amidst the crowd.
The rescue teams carried the victims away from the religious site. Footage of clothes, shoes and other misplaced items belonging to the people were scattered across the ground. The clips and pictures of police officers carrying the stretchers of the bodies of victims covered with blankets and waiting for an ambulance were also circulated.
Witnessing the severity of the issue, a Rapid Action Force (RAF), a special unit force called during the crisis was immediately deployed to the area to curb the situation. The rescue teams also accompanied them.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi addressed the issue terming it an extremely sad and offered his condolences to the relatives of the deceased and wishing for a speedy recovery for the injured. Additionally, Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh addressed the reason for the stampede stating the devotees tried to jump off the barricades that were there to essentially manage the crowd.
Whereas, the opposition criticised the ruling Bhartiya Janta Party in Uttar Pradesh. Mallikarjun Kharge, president of the Congress Party mentioned that the incident happened because of ‘half-baked arrangements’ and ‘Mismanagement,’ asking the state government to wake up and address the tragedy.