A few pilgrims at the kumbh Mela reportedly dismissed online allegations of mismanagement and defamation attempts, stating that 90 percent of reports on Facebook and Instagram are fake. They praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for the smooth arrangements, urging people not to believe in rumours. “It took us only two hours from the station to take a dip in Sangam,” a devotee told ANI.
Some devotees also termed the Mauni Amavasya incident as accidental and appealed for caution. A stampede-like situation arose at Mahakumbh on January 29, in which at least 30 people were killed and 60 were injured. Till now twenty-five bodies have been identified. The incident occurred as millions of devotees gathered at the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers to take a holy dip on the auspicious occasion of Mauni Amavasya, which also marked the day of the second Shahi Snan.
Uttar Pradesh government has announced financial assistance of Rs 25 lakh for the families of the deceased. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has also ordered a judicial inquiry and said that a judicial committee will submit its report to the state government within a time limit.
“A three-member judicial commission will be headed by Justice Harsh Kumar, former DG VK Gupta and retired IAS officer DK Singh. We have been monitoring the entire incident from the CM’s, Chief Secretary and DGP’s control rooms throughout the day,” he said.
Maha Kumbh, which started on January 13, will continue till February 26. The remaining significant ‘snan’ dates are February 3 (Basant Panchami–third Shahi Snan), February 12 (Maghi Purnima), and February 26 (Maha Shivaratri).
On Saturday, a 118-member delegation, including Heads of Mission (HoM), spouses of HoMs, and diplomats from 77 countries, participated in Mahakumbh Mela 2025 in Prayagraj. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath met foreign diplomats on the sidelines of the ongoing Mela. The UP Chief Minister said that till February 26, he expects more than 45 crore people taking part in the Mahakumbh Mela.
