Maha Kumbh stampede: Congress slams Centre, Adityanath government for 'half-baked' arrangements
New Delhi (PTI): The Congress on Wednesday hit out at the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh government over the "stampede-like" situation at the Sangam, demanding that the Maha Kumbh management be handed over to a better administrator than Chief Minister Adityanath and the movement of VVIPs there be stopped.
Multiple casualties were feared after a "stampede-like" situation broke out at the Sangam on Wednesday amid the ongoing Maha Kumbh, as millions of pilgrims turned up for a holy bath on Mauni Amavasya, officials said.
In view of the incident, the akharas called off their traditional 'Amrit Snan' for Mauni Amavasya, even as devotees in large numbers continued to take a dip at Sangam and other ghats in the Mela area.
Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge said that the news of "many people losing their lives" and many people getting injured due to the stampede on the banks of the Tirthraj Sangam during the Maha Kumbh is extremely heartbreaking.
"Our deepest condolences to the families of the devotees and we wish for the speedy recovery of the injured," he said.
"Half-baked arrangements, VIP movement, paying more attention to self-promotion and mismanagement are responsible for this. Such arrangements despite spending thousands of crores of rupees are condemnable," the Congress chief said in a post in Hindi on X.
"Many important 'shahi snans' are still left, so the central and state governments should wake up now, and improve the system so that such unpleasant incidents do not happen in future," Kharge said.
"The arrangements for accommodation, food, first aid and movement of devotees etc. should be expanded and VIP movement should be reined in. This is what our saints and sages also want," he said.
Kharge urged Congress workers to help the victims in every possible way.
In a post in Hindi on X, Congress' media and publicity department head Pawan Khera said, "The death of many devotees in the stampede during Kumbh bath in Prayagraj is very saddening. The kind of crowd that was there and the half-baked arrangements that were put in place, there was always a danger of such an accident happening," Khera said.
Many 'maha snans' are still left, so it is necessary that additional security forces be sent there and the responsibility of management be given to some other better administrator than Adityanath, Khera said and demanded that the movement of VVIPs be stopped.
Officer on Special Duty for the Mela Akanksha Rana said, "Some people have got injured and have been hospitalised after a barrier broke at the Sangam. We are yet to have the exact count of those injured".
The Amrit Snan on Mauni Amavasya is the most significant ritual of the Maha Kumbh and is expected to draw around 10 crore pilgrims.
This year, a rare celestial alignment called 'Triveni Yog' is occurring after 144 years, amplifying the spiritual significance of the day.
Around 2:00 am, the blaring sirens of ambulances and police vehicles rushing to the Sangam pierced through the continuous chants of mantras and shlokas echoing from loudspeakers across the Kumbh Mela area.
Those injured were taken to the central hospital established in the Mela area. Relatives of many injured also reached there, as did some senior administrative and police officials.
The Triveni Sangam -- confluence of Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati -- is considered the holiest by Hindus, with a belief that taking a dip in it during Maha Kumbh and particularly on special bathing dates like Mauni Amavasya washes away people's sins and provides them 'moksha' or salvation.
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Mumbai businessman blackmailed for ₹80 lakh, accused also demands sexual favours from his wife
Mumbai: A businessman from Powai was allegedly blackmailed by his friend, who demanded ₹80 lakh and sexual favours from his wife. The accused, identified as John Pereira, claimed to possess compromising videos of the businessman and objectionable photos of his wife and her friends.
According to reports, Pereira made WhatsApp calls to threaten the businessman, warning that he would share the images and videos with the victim’s family, friends, and colleagues if his demands were not met. The couple was allegedly harassed for six months, from August 2024 to January 2025.
The businessman eventually approached the police and lodged a complaint at Powai Police Station. A case has been registered under relevant sections of the Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita (BNS), and the matter has been transferred to DN Nagar Police for further investigation. No arrests have been made so far.
