Prayagraj: At least 15 people lost their lives after a stampede-like situation during the Maha Kumbh 2025 in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj in the early hours of Wednesday. Eyewitnesses recounted the horror of the incident which took place on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya.
One of the eyewitnesses told IANS that her relative fell during the stampede-like situation and went missing after that. “My sister, sister daughter in law, everyone was there. But one person was missing. They dragged him and took him away. He fell down. He fell down,” she said.
Meanwhile, another eyewitness from Assam alleged that emergency response was delayed after the tragedy unfolded. “We called the CRPF and the police a long time ago, but no one has come yet. It's been half an hour, and we have taken our person to the hospital,” she said.
Another eyewitness, Jay Prakash Swami, recounted how his family escaped unhurt after getting stuck in the stampede-like situation. “She had gotten trapped under the crowd and couldn’t get up. We were all stuck in the crowd. I was the first to get out, then I helped the children and my father and my mother,” Swqmi told IANS.
One of the devotees, who witnessed the stampede-like situation, told IANS that his brother-in-law went missing after the incident. “We were stuck in the crowd. As soon as we reached near the Sangam, there was chaos. We managed to get out of the crowd but he fell down and left behind. I don’t know where he is. I am worried about my brother-in-law, Chandrapal,” he told IANS.
Vidhya Sahu, another devotee from Karnataka’s Belagavi who was present at the spot, recalled that people when pushed from behind got stuck at a nearby pole. “We have come from Belagavi, Karnataka. We were just walking when people from behind pushed us and took us around. There was a pole in the opposite direction, and everyone got stuck near it,” Sahi told the news agency.
The tragic incident took place on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya when around 8-10 crore people are expected to take a holy dip at Maha Kumbh today. Several people were also injured in the stampede-like situation which occurred at around 2 am. However, the situation was brought under control by authorities. The injured were taken to hospitals for treatment. The Amrit Snan on Mauni Amavasya is the most significant ritual of the Maha Kumbh.
