Probe ordered after 30 deaths at world’s largest religious festival in India

The Uttar Pradesh government has ordered a judicial probe into the deaths of at least 30 people in stampedes at India’s Kumbh Mela festival, where millions of Hindu devotees gathered for a ritual bath at the confluence of three sacred rivers.

State authorities confirmed that nearly three dozen people had been killed in the crowds while an additional 60 had been left injured.

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath said a separate investigation will be launched into the police lapses after eyewitnesses blamed poor police management for the stampede.

The pre-dawn crowd crush took place about 1km from the confluence in Prayagraj, where the Ganges, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati rivers meet.

Distraught families gathered outside temporary medical centres, searching for missing relatives, while emergency teams attended to the injured and police struggled to regain control over the crowds.

Wednesday marked a particularly significant bathing day, with officials anticipating a record turnout of 100 million devotees at the pilgrimage site.

The Maha Kumbh Mela, which takes place every 12 years, began on 13 January, with over 400 million people expected to visit before the six-week festival concludes.

The Independent

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