Hour before death in stampede, Karnataka woman requested people to avoid visiting Mahakumbh

Apart from Megha Hattarwat, her mother and BJP worker Jyoti Hattarwat, 50, Arun Narayan Khoparde, 60, and Mahadevi Hanumant Bavanur, 45, were the other three from Karnataka who died in the stampede. All of them were from the Belagavi district.

A total of 13 people from the Belagavi district had travelled to Mahakumbh in a group with the help of tour operators Sai Travels.

Deepak Hattarwat, Megha Hattarwat’s father, who was alone back home in Karnataka, said, “On January 26, they left for Mahakumbh. I told her not to go to Mahakumbh but she (Megha Hattarwat) was adamant about visiting. We were planning her marriage and talks were going on. She convinced me by saying that it happens only once in 144 years and she did not know whether she could travel after her marriage.”

“The last call my daughter made to me was around 10 pm on Tuesday. She did a WhatsApp video call to show the crowd. I warned her to stay away from the crowd. Next morning, I watched the television and found out that there was a stampede. I tried to contact them but their phones were unavailable. I also reached out to the Uttar Pradesh authorities but they did not provide any information,” he added.

Chandrakanth Patil, who also travelled with Megha Hattarwat, later informed Deepak Hattarwatt that they were searching for his wife and daughter.

“Around 3 pm on Wednesday, I got the confirmation that they were dead. What should I do and for whom should I live now?” said an inconsolable Deepak Hattarwat, who works with Karnataka state irrigation department.

His elder daughter is married and Deepak Hattarwatt lived with his wife and younger daughter Megha Hattarwat.

Ashwini Arjun Ranade, another member of the group that had travelled from Belagavi, said in a video, “They (tour operators) told us that we can go to the snan (bath) on our own and gather near the vehicle at 2 pm sharp… The tour operators parked their vehicle 30-40 km from the bathing spot. From here, we all took different vehicles to reach the Kumbh snan place. Some unfortunately died in the stampede.”

Another deceased Mahadevi Hanumant Bavanur’s son said they received a call from one of the fellow travellers around 3.30 pm on Wednesday, informing them that his mother was missing.

“I tried reaching out to my mother but there was no response. We were anxious… The last call she made was around midnight and that call was plagued by network issues. Around 1 pm (on Wednesday), we got confirmation that my mother was dead,” he added.

Among those who died at the Kumbh Mela, the bodies of two individuals have already arrived at Belagavi airport and have been handed over to their families. The bodies of the remaining two have reached Goa airport and will be transported by road to Belagavi by midnight 12:00 AM

Expressing condolences, he added, “On behalf of the government, I extend my heartfelt sympathies to the bereaved families. The government has already covered all expenses related to transporting the bodies from Delhi to Belagavi and will also consider providing appropriate relief. However, no compensation can ever replace the loss of life. The government stands in solidarity with the victims’ families.”

The minister also confirmed that Karnataka government officials have been sent to Delhi to provide necessary assistance to pilgrims from the state affected by the tragedy. He added that the department’s helpline has been receiving calls from the kin of pilgrims, and based on these, officials have been trying to contact pilgrims who travelled to the Kumbh Mela.

The minister also announced that one individual from Karnataka who visited Mahakumbh could not be traced. “Most of the Karnataka pilgrims have been traced. However, one person who travelled with the Isha Foundation group has not been responding to calls, even though his phone is ringing. Efforts are underway to locate him.”

Asked about the exact number of people from Karnataka present at the Kumbh Mela, the minister said, “We have not yet received any official data from the Uttar Pradesh government regarding how many people from Karnataka attended, how many were affected by the tragedy, how many were injured, or the confirmed number of deceased. To address this, IAS officer Harshal Boyle has personally travelled to the site to visit local hospitals and verify if any injured Karnataka residents are receiving treatment there.”