New Delhi:

An investigation into the deadly stampede at New Delhi railway station on Saturday, which killed 18 – including five children – has revealed that a senior Railway Police Force (RPF) official had asked the station manager not to issue any more tickets after he sensed that the crowd had become too large and an uncontrollable situation could arise, but thousands were already on the platforms by then, sources have told NDTV.  

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw has, however, said that there was no extraordinary rush at the station. 

Sources said an RPF investigation report into the incident found that four trains to Prayagraj were scheduled to leave the New Delhi railway station between 8.15 pm and 10.10 pm – a span of just two hours – resulting in a massive crowd of Maha Kumbh devotees descending on the platforms. Reports had said that, on average, nearly 1,500 general tickets were sold at the station every hour and many more were purchased online. 

The RPF report said that the Shiv Ganga Express, between New Delhi and Varanasi via Prayagraj, was scheduled to depart from platform number 12 at 8.15 pm, the Magadh Express to West Bengal’s Islampur via Prayagraj from platform number 14 at 9 pm and the Prayagraj Express from the same platform at 10.10 pm. By the time the Shiv Ganga Express left, thousands of passengers could not make it on the crowded train and that’s when they found out that a special train would leave for Prayagraj from platform 16.

This sparked a frenzy and, the report said, the big mass of people began trying to make its way from platform 12 to 16 to board the special train using foot overbridges two and three. In addition to the usual rush, a crowd of people was already heading for platform 14 for the two trains to Prayagraj and the overflow from platform 12 joined this throng. This, the report said, led to the stampede. 

The report mentions that when the crowd began to swell to a point that the situation seemed to be headed out of control, the Assistant Security Commissioner of the RPF asked the station manager not to issue any more tickets, but thousands were already on the platforms and foot overbridges by then. A call was also made for all on-duty and off-duty staff to reach the platform and foot overbridges and the station director was asked to order the special train to Prayagraj to leave as soon as it was full. 

It also notes a statement from one of the injured women that while the stampede began at 9.15 pm, the first call to the fire brigade was made 40 minutes later, at 9.55 pm.

Authorities’ Take

A spokesperson for the Railway Board said more information is being gathered.

“A committee has been formed to investigate the matter through which information will be obtained from all the officers and inspectors posted at the station, after which the committee will submit the report to the zonal railway,” the spokesperson said. 

On Monday, Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw had ruled out any conspiracy behind the stampede at the New Delhi station and emphasised that there was no extraordinary rush either.

“No conspiracy looks at the moment (sic),” the minister was quoted as saying by news agency PTI. 

Stating that the information he had till then showed that there was no extraordinary rush at the New Delhi railway station, he also dismissed reports of a platform change announcement as a cause of the stampede. “The inquiry committee is looking into it deeply,” he said.

New Delhi:

At least 18 people died after a huge rush of passengers, caused by two delayed trains and a special Express train to Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, led to a stampede at the New Delhi Railway station on Saturday night. While eyewitnesses claimed that a last-minute platform change announcement for the special train to Prayagraj caused panic before the deadly stampede, the Railways has denied any such change.

The Delhi police have now provided a clarification in this regard. According to the police, the arrival of another special train to Prayagraj – the Prayagraj Special – on platform number 16 confused the passengers waiting for the special train on platform number 14. Follow New Delhi Railway Station Stampede Live Updates here

“The announcement of the Prayagraj Special arriving at Platform 16 led to confusion because the Prayagraj Express was already at Platform 14. People who could not reach their train at Platform 14 thought their train was arriving at Platform 16 leading to the stampede. Additionally, four other trains were heading to Prayagraj, out of which three were delayed, causing unexpected overcrowding,” the police said.

A top Railway official said that the incident was caused after a passenger slipped on the nearby stairs.

“Trains were not cancelled, and the platform was not changed. All trains have been running as per its schedule,” Himanshu Shekhar Upadhyay, CPRO Northern Railway said.

The Railways has also formed a two-member high-level committee to probe the incident. Narsingh Deo, Principal Chief Commercial Manager of Northern Railway and Pankaj Gangwar, Principal Chief Security Commissioner of Northern Railway are a part of the committee, officials said.

The committee, which has commenced its inquiry, gave orders to secure all video footage of the New Delhi Railway Station.

Out of the 18 victims in the incident, 11 were women and four were children. A dozen more people were injured and taken to nearby hospitals for treatment. Majority of the victims who sustained injuries reportedly have suffered lower limb injuries while others suffered from bone injuries.

New Delhi:

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav has urged the Uttar Pradesh government to extend the duration of the Maha Kumbh, citing the overwhelming number of devotees on the roads still hoping to attend. Mr Yadav claimed that in previous years, the Maha Kumbh and Kumbh Mela lasted for 75 days, whereas the current schedule is shorter. 

“Even now, many people want to go to Maha Kumbh but cannot. In such a situation, the government should extend the time limit of Maha Kumbh,” Mr Yadav said.

Visuals on social media show packed trains, congested roads and massive crowds all heading to the Maha Kumbh. Earlier this week, roads leading to the Maha Kumbh Mela witnessed severe traffic congestion stretching for kilometres. The Prayagraj Sangam railway station was forced to shut down temporarily due to the overwhelming crowd.

Mr Yadav also accused the state government of concealing the true number of deaths caused by a stampede at the Maha Kumbh last month. 

The Maha Kumbh, the world’s largest spiritual gathering, began on January 13 and is set to conclude on February 26, coinciding with Maha Shivaratri. According to state government data, over 50 crore people have taken holy dip at the Sangam till Friday evening – which is more than the combined population of Russia and the United States. 

Over 92 lakh had taken a dip till 6 pm on Friday alone, pushing the overall footfall at Maha Kumbh past 50 crore (till February 14), the state government said. 

Prayagraj:

The sacred bath on Maghi Purnima began early Wednesday as millions of devotees gathered in the Maha Kumbh Mela area here amid elaborate arrangements, with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath monitoring the event from Lucknow.

With the Maghi Purnima bath, the month-long Kalpavas will also end and the around 10 lakh kalpvasis will start leaving the Maha Kumbh. The administration has requested all Kalpvasis to follow traffic rules and use only authorised parking spaces.

Lakhs of devotees have already taken the holy dip at the Triveni Sangam and other ghats since the bathing started early morning. Millions of devotees are headed to the Sangam Nose to take a dip.

Chief Minister Adityanath is taking regular updates on the ‘Snan’ at Sangam, from the war room set up at his official residence in Lucknow.

Kumbh SSP Rajesh Dwivedi said, “The movement of devotees is going on smoothly and we are taking care of all (crowd) pressure points.” “We have made elaborate arrangements during the previous ‘snan’ on Basant Panchami too. Our arrangements have been further augmented this time. More deployment has been done at all the pressure points. Along with that, we are briefing people to ensure a smooth movement,” he said.

Chief Minister Adityanath greeted devotees and the residents of the state on the holy bathing festival.

“Heartiest greetings to all the revered saints, religious leaders, Kalpvasis and devotees who have come for the holy bath at the sacred Triveni in Maha Kumbh-2025, Prayagraj. May everyone’s life be filled with happiness, prosperity and good fortune by the grace of Lord Shri Hari. May Maa Ganga, Maa Yamuna and Maa Saraswati fulfill everyone’s wishes,” he posted on X.

Officials said they have made elaborate arrangements for the occasion to ensure the devotees take the sacred bath without any hassle.

The fair area has been declared a ‘no vehicle zone’ from 4 am on Tuesday, while the entire city will become a no-vehicle zone from 5 pm onwards, with an exemption for emergency and essential services. To avoid traffic chaos, designated parking lots have been marked for public and private vehicles.

Prayagraj ADG Bhanu Bhaskar said special police forces have been deployed at all places where crowd management becomes challenging.

The special traffic plan will remain in force till the completion of the bathing ritual to ensure safe evacuation of devotees from the fair area in case of any emergency.

ADG Bhaskar said that real time data is being collected from toll plazas and officials of neighboring districts so that the number of vehicles coming and the routes can be monitored and regulated.

Srinivas, who has come from Andhra Pradesh to take a holy dip, said, “It feels good. The UP government has made good arrangements. Many thanks to Yogi Adityanath ji, many thanks to Prime Minister Modi. Everyone has come to take a bath on Maghi Purnima.”

Another devotee, Gayatri, said, “I am very happy to be here at the Kumbh Mela. I feel very good to be here on this auspicious occasion. The UP government has created a good atmosphere here. Actually being a Hindu, this is the first time I have really felt like an Indian. People have shown their religiousness and unity has been promoted.”

Officials said the state transport department has arranged 1,200 additional shuttle buses, which will be available every 10 minutes, for the return of the devotees, The Uttar Pradesh government said on Tuesday that only 14 days are left for the Maha Kumbh to end. More than 45 crore people have taken a dip in the Sangam so far since the grand religious event started on January 13.

The Maha Kumbh will conclude on February 26 with the final Amrit Snan on the occasion of Mahashivratri.

A stampede during the Manui Amaswya ‘Amirt Snan’ on January 29 had left, according to the Uttar Pradesh government, 30 dead and 60 injured. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Prayagraj:

A police officer was suspended on Thursday after a video went viral showing him allegedly mixing ash into the food served at a Bhandara (community feast) for devotees at the Maha Kumbh Mela here.

Action was taken against the Station House Officer (SHO) of Soraon, Brijesh Kumar Tiwari, after the video surfaced on social media, said DCP (Ganga Nagar) Kuldeep Singh Gunawat.

In the footage, a police officer is seen adding ash to the food being prepared over a stove.

A user posted the video on social media platform X tagging the DCP Ganga Nagar’s account and demanding strict action against the officer for this “shameful act.” In response, the official account of DCP Ganga Nagar replied: “Taking cognizance of the matter, the Deputy Commissioner of Police (Ganga Nagar) has suspended the Soraon SHO based on a report from ACP Soraon. Departmental proceedings are underway.” The video was also shared by Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on social media, urging the public to take note of it.

“It is unfortunate that the good efforts of those who are making arrangements to provide food and water to those stranded at the Maha Kumbh are being scuttled due to political animosity. The public should take notice!” the former UP Chief Minister said.

With the ongoing Maha Kumbh, which has seen millions of pilgrims coming to Prayagraj, a number of individuals, groups, and organizations have set up community kitchens to offer free or affordable meals to the visiting devotees.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

New Delhi:

The stampede at Maha Kumbh on the early hours of Wednesday took place because the crowd had gathered ahead of time and broke the barriers, the Uttar Pradesh police have said. Thirty people have died in the pre-dawn stampede that took place as people jostled for a dip at the confluence on Mauni Amavasya, one of the holiest days of the month-long religious festival.

“Before Brahma Muhurta, between 1 am to 2 am, a huge crowd gathered on the Akhara Marg,” said Vaibhav Krishna, the Deputy Inspector General  posted at the Mahakumbh.

“Due to this crowd, the barricades on the other side broke and the crowd ran over the devotees waiting to take a holy dip of Brahma Muhurta on the other side,” he added.

One of the families that lost two of its members, however, told NDTV that the tragedy could have been averted if the barriers were opened as the crowd started building.

“If they had opened the barrier in time, this stampede would have been averted,” said Jagvanti, whose family had come to the Kumbh from Jaunpur, Uttar Pradesh.

“The barriers did not open on time… a huge crowd came in. Nobody came to help at the time. The people were running over each other. We saw our mother and sister-In-law dying in front of our eyes,” she added.

The police officer said after the stampede, 90 people were taken to the hospital. 

Of the 30 who died, 25 have been identified. Those yet to be  identified include four persons from Karnataka, one from Assam and one from Gujarat.

Thirty-six people are being treated at the local medical college. 

New Delhi:

A woman undergoing treatment for cancer took a dip in the Ganga river on Monday, hoping the auspicious occasion of Mauni Amavasya turns the tides for her and helps her battle the disease.

Nirmala came to the Maha Kumbh fair grounds on a wheelchair and will depart for Mumbai today, where she will undergo chemotherapy at the Tata Memorial Hospital. Currently suffering from metastatic cancer, she had earlier undergone a gall bladder operation, after which the cancer surfaced in her head and then her lymph nodes.

Though the woman is undergoing treatment since two years, her cancer has not been cured yet. Speaking to NDTV, her husband said that while Nirmala still has some time left, she should take a dip in the holy river. “The doctors have given up. The rest is upto God. Maybe she will be cured,” he said, in tears.

The couple, who is visiting Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj with their son, witnessed the stampede that has left 30 women injured. Nirmala said she saw people breaking barricades and falling down.

Around 30 women were injured when a stampede-like situation unfolded at the Maha Kumbh on the morning of Mauni Amavasya, prompting Akharas to defer the holy dip. As crores of devotees streamed into the tent city in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj ahead of the ‘Amrit Snan’, barricades about a kilometre away from the ‘Sangam’ broke leading some women to faint. As the unconscious women fell, the stampede-like situation began.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath appealed to people to take a dip in the Ganga at their nearest ghats and not try to reach the Sangam Nose. “All ghats hold equal spiritual significance and reaching the main confluence point should not be a priority,” the statement quoted the chief minister as saying.

Multiple bathing ghats have been designated across the mela area, ensuring that everyone can take a dip comfortably and safely. The arrangements have been made to prevent overcrowding and maintain the sanctity of the occasion, Adityanath said.

According to a government statement about 2.78 crore people had taken the holy dip till 8 am. The total number of devotees who had taken a bath since January 13 had reached nearly 19.94 crore by this time.

This year, a rare celestial alignment called ‘Triveni Yog’ is occurring after 144 years, amplifying the spiritual significance of the day. The ‘Amrit Snan’ on ‘Mauni Amavasya’ is expected to draw around 10 crore pilgrims. The Maha Kumbh Began in January 13 and will end on February 26.

Mahakumbh Nagar:

Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad president Mahant Ravindra Puri on Wednesday said that due to the stampede-like situation at Maha Kumbh, the seers have called off their Mauni Amavasya’s Amrit Snan.

A stampede-like situation broke out at Sangam earlier on Wednesday, where several people, including women and children, suffered injuries.

“You would’ve seen what happened in the morning, and that’s why we have decided to… All of our saints and seers were ready for the ‘snan’ when we were informed about this incident. That’s why we have decided to call off our ‘snan’ on ‘Mauni Amavasya’,” Mahant Ravindra Puri told PTI Videos.

As per tradition of the Kumbh Mela, Akharas belonging to the three sects ‘Sanyasi, Bairagi, and Udaseen’ take the holy dip in a set sequence following a majestic, awe-inspiring procession to the Sangam Ghat.

The seers and saints, including the ash-smeared Nagas, then immerse themselves in the sacred confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and mythical Saraswati rivers on special bathing dates like the Mauni Amavasya, which are marked by special celestial alignments and considered holy among Hindus.

On Tuesday, a day before the Mauni Amavasya, nearly 5 crore people reached for the dip during the fair, according to estimates of the Uttar Pradesh government, which expects the crowd to be around 10 crore on Wednesday. 

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Prayagraj:

The ongoing Maha Kumbh Mela has attracted a significant number of devotees to Prayagraj, where they come to take a holy dip at the Triveni Sangam. As of afternoon on Tuesday, over 23.9 million people, including 1 million Kalpawasis, have taken a holy dip at the confluence of the Ganga and Yamuna rivers, as per the Uttar Pradesh Information Department.

Meanwhile, over 147.6 million people have taken a dip at the confluence of the Ganga, and Yamuna rivers since the commencement of the event on January 13, as per the Uttar Pradesh Information Department.

Ahead of the 2nd Amrit Snan tomorrow on Mauni Amavasya; over 150 million devotees take a holy dip in the first 15 days of Maha kumbh2025.

Earlier in the day, Patanjali Ayurved’s Managing Director Acharya Balkrishna hailed the Maha Kumbh as the pride of Santan and urged the people to enjoy the festival and focus on internal purity.

Speaking to ANI, Balkrishna said, “Maha Kumbh is a pride of Sanatan. With holy dip at Triveni, we pray for happiness and to get rid of worldly and transcendental sorrow. All should enjoy this festival and should focus on internal purity.”

Tomorrow is Mauni Amavasya, which is the day of the Second Shahi Snan. Over 80 to 100 million people are expected to attend the event. Other key bathing dates of the Maha Kumbh include February 3 (Basant Panchami – Third Shahi Snan), February 12 (Maghi Purnima), and February 26 (Maha Shivaratri).

A devotee who came to Maha Kumbh said that despite the huge crowd, there was no stampede-like situation.

The Maha Kumbh is held every 12 years and a huge turnout of devotees is expected in Prayagraj from January 13 to February 26.

Rooted in Sanatan Dharma, the event signifies a celestial alignment that creates an auspicious period for spiritual cleansing and devotion. The Mahakumbh Mela is expected to host over 45 crore visitors, marking a historic occasion for India.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)

Mahakumbh Nagar:

The grand Mahakumbh festival at Prayagraj’s Sangam has drawn over 13 crore devotees so far. Now, preparations are in full swing for the Amrit Snan on Mauni Amavasya, January 29, 2025, when an expected 10 crore pilgrims are expected to take a holy dip at Triveni Sangam on the auspicious occasion.

Anticipating a huge influx of devotees, the Prayagraj Railway Division has made elaborate special arrangements for the smooth arrival and departure of passengers across all stations in the city.

Around 10 crore people are expected to arrive in Prayagraj for the Amrit Snan of Mauni Amavasya. As per estimates, approximately 1 crore passengers have been arriving daily in the city for the Maha Kumbh, since January 25.

To ensure the safety and smooth flow of such a large number of devotees, the Prayagraj Railway Division has rolled out a special plan along with certain restrictions. These arrangements will be in effect a day before and two days after the Mauni Amavasya bathing festival.

On the day of the festival, entry to Prayagraj Junction will be permitted from the city side, through platform number-. The exit will be only from the Civil Lines side, via platform number 6.

Reserved passengers with pre-booked tickets will have a separate entry from the city-side gate number 5, while unreserved passengers will enter through direction-wise, colour-coded shelters.

These shelters will also house unreserved ticket counters, ATMs, and mobile ticketing services. A special holding area has been set up at Khusro Bagh, with the capacity to accommodate up to 1 lakh people.

During the Mauni Amavasya festival, special arrangements have been made at key railway stations to manage the influx of passengers and ensure smooth travel. At Naini Junction, entry will be allowed only from Station Road, with the exit through the goods shed.

Reserved passengers will have a dedicated entry via Gate Number 2. At Prayagraj Cheoki Station, passengers will enter only from COD Road, which connects to the Prayagraj-Mirzapur highway and will exit through G.E.C. Naini Road.

Reserved passengers will use Gate Number 2 for entry. At Subedarganj Station, the entry will be from Jhalwa-Kaushambi Road, and the exit will be towards GT Road. Reserved passengers will enter through Gate Number 3.

To streamline passenger movement, colour-coded shelters have been set up at all stations for unreserved passengers. These shelters are organised based on passengers’ destination stations, with each colour corresponding to specific routes.