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. 

New Delhi:

The Uttar Pradesh government has firmly opposed petitions challenging its directive requiring shop owners along the Kanwar Yatra route to display their names prominently.

In a detailed submission to the Supreme Court, the state government said that the directive was issued to ensure a peaceful and orderly pilgrimage.

The Kanwar Yatra, an annual pilgrimage where devotees of Lord Shiva, known as Kanwariyas, travel to fetch holy water from the Ganges River, sees millions of participants each year. 

The Uttar Pradesh government claimed that the directive was introduced in response to specific complaints from Kanwariyas. Pilgrims had allegedly raised concerns about the food being served along the route, which led to apprehensions regarding its preparation in line with religious practices.

The opposition has targetted the government calling the directive ‘anti-muslim’ and aimed at creating divisions within the society.

Hathras, UP:

 The Uttar Pradesh government has set up a three-member Judicial Inquiry Commission under the chairmanship of retired Justice Brijesh Kumar Srivastava (II) of Allahabad High Court to investigate the July 2 Hathras stampede, in which at least 121 died.

A notification in this regard was issued by Governor Anandiben Patel late on Wednesday night.

Retired IAS officer Hemant Rao and retired IPS officer Bhavesh Kumar Singh have been appointed as members of the inquiry commission. The headquarters of the commission will be located in Lucknow.

The commission is tasked with completing its investigation within two months from the date of the notification.

According to an official release, any extension of this duration will require an order from the state government. The commission will investigate the prescribed points and submit the report to the state government.

The prescribed points for the probe include investigating the organiser’s compliance with the conditions set for granting permission by the district administration. The commission will also investigate whether the incident was an accident, a conspiracy, or the result of another planned criminal act.

Additionally, the commission will examine crowd control and law and order arrangements by the administration and the police during the event, along with related aspects. It will also analyse the reasons and circumstances leading to the incident.

Furthermore, the commission will provide recommendations to prevent such incidents from happening in the future.

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