At least 30 people were killed and many others injured in a jostling during the largest religious gathering in the world early Wednesday, January 29.
At least 30 people were killed and many others injured in a jostling during the largest religious gathering in the world early Wednesday, while millions of pilgrims rushed to soak in sacred waters during the Kumbh Mela festival in the north of India. According to police from the city of Prayagraj, 60 others injured had been transported urgently to hospitals.
Wednesday was a sacred day of this six -week Hindu festival, and the authorities expected a record number of 100 million faithful to have a ritual bath at the confluence of the Ganges, the Yamuna and the legendary Saraswati river. For the Hindus swimming in the sacred site can purify them of their past sins and put an end to the reincarnation process.
The jostling occurred when pilgrims have tried to cross barricades erected for a procession of holy men, said Yogi Adityanath, the highest elected official of the state of the Uttar Pradesh, in a television statement.
The main attraction of the event is made up of the thousands of Hindu ascetics coated with ashes that go en masse to the confluence to bathe.
Indian authorities have taken over 16 hours to communicate the number of victims, even though Prime Minister Narendra modified recognized the loss of human life, calling the incident ” extremely sad And presenting its condolences.
“” Suddenly, the crowd started to push and we were trapped. Many of us have fallen and the crowd has become uncontrollable “Said Sarojini, a pilgrim, quoted by the press agency Press Trust of India. “IThere was no chance to escape, the crowd was pushed on all sides “, She added.
Families in distress have laid down in front of a fortune hospital, desperately looking to obtain news from their missing relatives. Clothes, blankets and backpacks were scattered on the Southern site.
Despite the jostling, millions of people continued to go to the 4,000 hectare pilgrimage site, while the police asked them by megaphones to avoid the confluence. Adityanath has urged people to bathe rather on other banks.
“” The situation is now under control, but there is a massive crowd of pilgrims “Said Adityanath, adding that 90 to 100 million pilgrims were on the site.
About 30 million people had taken the sacred bath at 8 a.m. on Wednesday, he said.
400 million pilgrims expected
The sacred festival that takes place every 12 years, started on January 13. The authorities expect more than 400 million people to hurry on the pilgrimage site. Nearly 150 million people have already participated, including the Ministers of Defense Rajnath Singh and the Interior Amit Shah, as well as celebrities like Chris Martin, of the Coldplay group.
A city of sprawling tents was built on the banks of the river to accommodate millions of visitors, with roads, electricity and water, 3,000 kitchens and 11 hospitals.
About 50,000 security agents are posted in the city to maintain order and manage crowds, and more than 2,500 cameras monitor the movements and the density of the crowd so that those responsible can try to avoid such crushes.
Several opposition leaders have criticized the federal government and the government of the State, both led by the Hindu Nationalist Party of Modi, the Bharatiya Janata Party, and attributed the stampede to a “mismanagement” and the ” VIP culture ” – The latter referring to what they consider as a preferential treatment for politicians and celebrities.
“” The government should make better measures to meet the needs of ordinary faithful “Wrote the head of the Indian opposition, Rahul Gandhi, on the social platform X.
The festival, which lasts 45 days, is an important cultural event for India Hindus, which represent almost 80 % of the more than 1.4 billion inhabitants of the country. It is also a prestigious event for Modi, whose power in power prides itself on promoting Hindu cultural symbols.
The Kumbh Mela festival has already experienced jostles in the past.
In 2013, at least 40 pilgrims who participated in the festival were killed in a stampede in a Prayagraj station.
Mortal jostles are relatively frequent during Indian religious festivals, where large crowds come together in small areas. In July, at least 116 people died, when thousands of people participating in a religious rally in northern India shaken up in a tent camp in the city of Hathras. Most of the victims were women and children.