A video of a 24-year-old woman from Karnataka, who died in a stampede at the Maha Kumbh on Wednesday, requesting devotees not to come to the fair due to a huge crowd, has surfaced on social media.
Megha Hattarawat was among the 30 people who died in a pre-dawn stampede as millions of people jostled for space for a holy dip at the Sangam on Mauni Amavasya (new moon). She and three others, all from Belagavi, died in the stampede.
“Hi, we are at Kumbh Mela. There is a huge rush here. So, avoid coming if possible. However, if you do come, please be careful and hold each other’s hands,” Megha said in the video on Tuesday, a day before the stampede.
Apart from Megha, her mother Jyoti Hattarawat (50) and two others died in the stampede.
MAHA KUMBH STAMPEDE
The incident took place around 2 am on Wednesday when tightly-packed crowds were gathering at the Sangam – the confluence of rivers Ganga, Yamuna and Saraswati. According to police, barricades placed at the ghats broke, which led to people inadvertently stepping on devotees sleeping on the ground.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered a court-monitored probe into the stampede and announced compensation of Rs 25 lakh each for the families of those killed in the incident.
He also said that the situation was under control and urged people not to spread rumours about Maha Kumbh.
In a tweet, Adityanath appealed to the devotees to take the holy dip at the nearest ghat at Ganga and not go towards Sangam Nose, where the stampede occurred.
Following the stampede, several guidelines came into place with the Maha Kumbh area being a no-vehicle zone, cancellation of VVIP passes and roads leading to the fair have been made one-way for the smooth movement of devotees.
Being held after 12 years, the Maha Kumbh kicked off on January 13 and will continue till February 26. The Uttar Pradesh government, hosting the fair, expects a total footfall of around 40 crore pilgrims at the largest spiritual gathering on the planet.
Till 10 am today, more than 92 lakh people visited the fair and took a holy dip in the Sangam.