There was another stampede at the ongoing Mahakumbh Mela in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj, hours after the first crowd crush near Sangam Nose on Wednesday, i.e., January 29, India Today reported.
As per the report, the second stampede took place some two km away from the spot of the first one that made headlines. While the first stampede took place near the Sangam Nose, the second one occurred at Jhusi.
The death toll of 30 includes those from both the sites, the outlet cited official sources as saying. According to the sources, the information on the second stampede wasn’t revealed in order to keep devotees from panicking.
While the first stampede was reported around 1:30 a.m. on Wednesday, the second one took place around 5:50 a.m., says the report.
Eyewitnesses reveal the details
“There were bodies lying here, and no one was asking about them. People who had suffocated to death in the morning were taken away by 1:30 pm. A female police constable arrived after 4 hours of the stampede. The police were stopping people from shooting videos,” Neha Ojha of Jhusi’s Haldiram kiosk told The Lallantop, India Today Digital’s sister news outlet.
Another eyewitness from the Haldiram kiosk revealed that there was nobody to help those being crushed to death. “There was no one here, no help,” he told The Lallantop.
Moreover, a Sadhu (saint) told the media outlet about how the stampede at Jhusi was triggered. “A bus arrived and stopped here. Around 15-20 young men got off the bus and deliberately created chaos, triggering a stampede. They broke the barrier and started pushing and shoving. Once the barrier collapsed, the crowd surged uncontrollably, with people trampling over each other,” the sadhu told The Lallantop.
“There is a conspiracy to defame Kumbh”, he added.
Judicial enquiry commission set up to probe incident
A judicial enquiry commission has been set up to probe the stampede incident, said Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak. He also asserted that “those found guilty will be subjected to strict punishment”.
“The government has taken the incident of Prayagraj very seriously. A judicial inquiry commission has been set up. Whoever is found guilty after the investigation report will be subjected to strict action”, Pathak stated.
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