Mahakumbh 2025 Highlights: Petition filed in Supreme Court seeking implementation of safety guidelines at Maha Kumbh

Acting on a directive from civil aviation ministry to maintain reasonable flight fare, Akasa Air has reduced its ticket prices for flights to Prayagraj by 30-45 per cent and also increased the number of flights to the city, sources said.

Air India on Thursday said it has added increased the number of flights to Prayagraj.

"Effective 01 February 2025, Air India will operate a second daily service between Delhi and Prayagraj until 28 February 2025. Air India has also added special daily services between Mumbai and Prayagraj that will operate until 28 February 2025," the airline said in a release.

On January 25, Consumer Affairs Minister Pralhad Joshi wrote a letter to Civil Aviation Minister K Ram Mohan Naidu about complaints regarding exorbitantly high airfares for Prayagraj flights.

"Significant increase in travel demand has led to exorbitantly high airfare prices for flights to Prayagraj from different parts of the country, which has made it difficult for the devotees to plan air travel to Maha Kumbh.

"I shall be grateful if you could kindly look into the matter considering the consumer interest and do the needful," Joshi said in the letter.

(With inputs from PTI)

Railway Minister Ashwini Vaishnaw on Thursday said 364 trains ran to various destinations from different stations of Prayagraj for the convenience of devotees returning home after taking holy dip in Sangam on the day of Mauni Amavasya on January 29.

Dilip Kumar, Executive Director, Information and Publicity, Railway Board provided zone-wise details of 364 train operations and said besides these 364 trains which originated from Prayagraj to different destinations, 77 trains arrived in Prayagraj from other places.

"During the entire period of (Mahakumbh) Mela, the Railways has planned to operate about 13,450 trains, which include 10,028 regular trains and more than 3,400 special trains," Kumar added.

(PTI)

Uttar Pradesh DGP Prashant Kumar on Thursday visited the injured in Mahakumbh stampede at the Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital in Prayagraj.

"The state government has already set up a judicial commission. We have come here to meet those who got injured in the stampede incident. All of them are getting proper medical treatment and we have also talked to their families. No one is in critical condition here," he said after meeting the injured.

Families of the two women of West Bengal, who were among the 30 pilgrims killed in a stampede in Maha Kumbha Mela, alleged on Thursday that the bodies were handed over to them at Prayagraj without death certificates.

They claimed that they received only a piece of paper mentioning that the body was given to him.

A senior West Bengal minister alleged that “total mismanagement” prevailed in the Maha Kumbh Mela.

Two elderly women from the state - Basanti Poddar of Kolkata's Golf Green area and Urmila Bhuniya of Salboni in Paschim Medinipur district – were killed in the pre-dawn stampede at the Maha Kumbh on Wednesday.

(PTI)

The three-member judicial commission set up by the Uttar Pradesh government to probe the Maha Kumbh stampede will visit the site on Friday, panel head Harsh Kumar, a retired judge of the Allahabad High Court, said.

Kumar also said that the commission has a month to wrap up its investigation but will try to expedite it.

(PTI)

UP Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar Singh and UP DGP Prashant Kumar visit Swaroop Rani Nehru Hospital where the injured in the stampede incident at Maha Kumbh are admitted.

#watch | Attending Prayagraj #mahakumbh2025, a foreign tourist says, "...My group feels wonderful here. We are grateful to India for such nice people and this festival...We wanted to come here to witness this festival."

The Odisha government on Thursday cancelled the special bus service for Maha Kumbh Mela till February 4, an official notice said.

"Due to unavoidable circumstances, the special bus service to Ayodhya for Maha Kumbh Mela stands cancelled with immediate effect till February 4," the notice said.

It also said that further updates will be shared with the public on the official social media handles and website. Earlier, it was decided to operate special bus service to Maha Kumbh Mela till February 26.

The Odisha government's decision to cancel the special bus service for Maha Kumbh Mela came a day after at least 30 people were killed, 60 injured and several went missing in a pre-dawn stampede at the Sangam area of the Maha Kumbh on Wednesday as millions of pilgrims jostled for space to take a holy dip on the occasion of one of the most auspicious days of Mauni Amavasya.

(PTI)

The three-member judicial commission set up by the Uttar Pradesh government to find the reasons behind the Maha Kumbh stampede has a month to wrap up its probe but will try to expedite it, panel head Harsh Kumar said on Thursday.

Kumar, a retired judge, also told PTI that the commission members would soon visit Prayagraj.

Kumar and panel members ex-Director General of Police (DGP) V K Gupta and retired IAS officer D K Singh reached the office assigned to them here and began their work on Thursday, an official statement said.

(PTI)

A petition was filed in the Supreme Court seeking implementation of specific guidelines and regulations to ensure safety of devotees attending the religious festival. The petition under Article 32 of the Constitution by lawyer Vishal Tiwari, seeks to prevent stampede incidents and protect the fundamental rights of equality and life under Article 21 and has made the Centre and all the states as parties.

The plea sought regulation of VIP movement and said public safety should be given priority over VIP protocols to prevent congestion and ensure smooth crowd movement.

UP Chief Secretary Manoj Kumar and DGP Prashant Kumar arrived at Prayagraj to review mela security arrangements, as per PTI.

Commenting on Maha Kumbh stampede incident, Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar told PTI, "There should be an inquiry in the matter... The government should say clearly that they can not organise such events and it is sure that corruption happened in Kumbh... (UP CM) Yogi Adityanath has now become greedy of power and chair..."

The Uttar Pradesh government ordered a three-member judicial probe into the incident on Wednesday.

Superintendent of Police (Traffic) Anshuman Mishra told PTI that the area would remain a no-vehicle zone until the crowd disperses completely.

"Vehicle passes will not be valid until all devotees have safely left for their destinations. No outside vehicles would be allowed to enter the city until the crowd exits the Mela area," he said.

However, senior officials may grant permission for vehicle entry based on the situation, he said.

PTI

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath ordered a three-member judicial probe to find the reasons that led to the stampede, apart from a separate police inquiry. The chief secretary and DGP would visit the Sangam today for an in-depth investigation into the incident. An ex gratia of Rs 25 lakh each for the kin of the deceased was announced.

A day after at least 30 people were killed and 60 injured in a stampede at the Sangam area of the Maha Kumbh, the traditional bathing ritual continued in Prayagraj. Following the stampede, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath issued a slew of guidelines on crowd management, traffic flow and prevention of build-up of devotees and coordination among departments.”Traffic must remain smooth within the Maha Kumbh Mela area. Unnecessary halts should be avoided, and crowd build-up must be prevented at all locations. There should be no traffic congestion on the roads,” Adityanath said.

Prayagraj Mahakumbh Stampede: It is 7:41 pm and Naresh Kumar from Amritsar has been searching the entire Maha Kumbh area for his wife since 2 am, when the deadly stampede took place. He has now finally arrived at the mortuary in Prayagraj with his 6-year-old son, hoping his worst fear is proved false.

Kumar says he checked 35 bodies inside the mortuary. None were of his wife. With his legs finally giving up, he sits outside clutching her Aadhaar card. “I cannot return home without her, or her body.”

There are many like him outside the mortuary of Moti Lal Nehru Medical College — husbands, daughters, sons, daughter-in-law, all here as a last resort after a fruitless day-long search for their loved ones. Those wanting to check the bodies are taken inside the gates. Many are forced to continue their search. Read Full Report

Maha Kumbh Stampede: As the families of stampede victims waited in the biting cold outside a Prayagraj mortuary to collect the bodies of their loved ones, a group of local residents stepped up to provide them a small measure of succour.

The group, comprising around 10 people, provided snacks, tea and coffee to the elderly and arranged milk for children from the early hours of Wednesday at the campus of Moti Lal Nehru Medical College.

Most of these volunteers are family members of Class IV employees at the college who reside near the mortuary located on the campus. “We saw a large number of people gathered at the mortuary gate. It was heartbreaking to see elderly persons and children,” said Omwati, who works at the gate of the girls’ hostel of the college. She reached out to some neighbours and they all decided to prepare some refreshments for those in the crowd. Read Full Report

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday evening ordered a judicial probe into the stampede at Maha Kumbh that left at least 30 people dead during the Amrit Snan on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya. The chief minister said that a separate inquiry will be conducted by the UP Police into the incident.

The three-member judicial probe team will be headed by retired Justice of Allahabad High Court Harsh Kumar. The other two members of the team are former DGP V K Gupta and retired IAS officer D K Singh.

In a notification issued later, the government stated that the probe would cover two points — a) finding out the reasons and circumstances that caused the incident, and b) to give suggestions about preventing such happenings in future. The commission has been given one month to submit the report but it could be extended. Read Full Report

Maha Kumbh Stampede | Within hours of the stampede at the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, leaders of Opposition parties targeted the Centre and the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh, alleging that “mismanagement” and “VIP culture” led to the mishap and deaths.

Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi blamed the “VIP culture” for the incident and said it should be curbed and the government “should make better arrangements to meet the needs of common devotees”.

“Mismanagement and the administration’s special focus on VIP movement, instead of common devotees, are responsible for this tragic incident,” he said.

SP chief and former UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav suggested that the management and administration of the Kumbh should be handed over to the Army to restore trust among the devotees and the sants. “Those who are making tall claims of world-class arrangements at the Maha Kumbh… should take moral responsibility for the deaths and should resign from their positions,” Yadav said, calling for stepped-up surveillance from the air.

Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge also blamed “VIP movement”, “half-baked arrangements” and “attention to self-promotion rather than management and mismanagement” for the incident. Read Full Report

Several people were injured and hospitalized after a stampede-like situation broke out during the Mauni Amavasya ritual at the Maha Kumbh in Uttar Pradesh. See more.

Harsh Soni (13) cries outside a mortuary after his grandmother, Sheila Soni, died in a stampede at Maha Kumbh Mela on Mauni Amavasya in Prayagraj on January 29, 2025. (Express photo by Chitral Khambhati)

On Maha Kumbh stampede, Jharkhand CM Hemant Soren said, "If such an incident happens to any person, it is unfortunate. It is a matter of concern and also a matter of sadness.... Efforts should be made to ensure that such an incident does not happen in future."

Express Photos by Vishal Srivastav

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister announced a compensation of Rs 25 lakh to the families of the deceased on behalf of the state government. Speaking to media officials, Adityanath expressed his deepest condolences to the families who lost their loved ones in the stampede. A 3-member judicial commission headed by Justice Harsh Kumar, former DG VK Gupta and retired IAS DK Singh has been set up to look into the matter. "The judicial commission will look into the entire matter and submit its report to the state government within a time limit," he said.

(With inputs from ANI)

Maharashtra deputy CM Ajit Pawar has reacted to the stampede in Mahakumbh. In a post on X, he expressed his condolences, saying, "The incident of a stampede near Triveni Sangama during the Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj, which resulted in the death of many devotees, is very unfortunate and shocking. I pay my heartfelt tributes to those who lost their lives in this unfortunate incident. The injured devotees are undergoing treatment in the hospital and I pray for their speedy recovery."

Thirty people have died and 60 more are injured after a “stampede-like” situation broke out at the Maha Kumbh mela in Uttar Pradesh’s Prayagraj in the early hours of Wednesday. While 25 victims have been identified, the injured are undergoing treatment at the local medical college, confirmed Vaibhav Krishna, DIG Mahakumbh. Read more.

Out of the 30 deceased, 25 have been identified, while the identification for five is ongoing. "Some of these are from other states too... four from Karnataka, one from Assam, one from Gujarat... some injured devotees have been taken away by their relatives. 36 injured are undergoing treatment at the local medical college. For the convenience of devotees, Mela administration has issued helpline number 1920," said DIG Kumbh Mela Vaibhav Krishna.

(With inputs from PTI)

Addressing a press conference, DIG Kumbh Mela Vaibhav Krishna confirms 30 casualties in the stampede incident.

"On the Mauni Amavasya Snan, between 1 and 2 am ahead of the Brahm Muhurta, huge crowd gathered on the Akhara route, because of which the barricades on the other side broke. The crowd on this side crossed to the other side and started running over devotees waiting for Brahm Muhurta... The administration quickly enforced the rescue operation and created a green corridor for ambulances, and took 90 injured to the hospitals. Unfortunately, 30 of those devotees have died," he explained.

The stampede occurred around 2 am on Wednesday as a sea of tightly-packed crowds converged at the Sangam Nose, the piece of land where the Yamuna and Ganga rivers meet.

The exact count of those injured remains unclear. Witnesses have described chaotic scenes, stating that many people fell down and there was pushing from all sides.

CM Adityanath said that the incident occurred at Akhara Marg as a huge number of people moved towards the Sangam Nose. He added that some devotees were injured when they tried to hop over the barricades put up by the administration.

As devotees gathered for the ‘Amrit Snan’ at the Sangam, the scenes turned out to be of anguish and disarray. Recounting the incident, an eyewitness, Basdev Sharma said he had come from Sultanpur with his family, their hearts set on the holy bath. They were carrying their belongings with them, their money tucked away.

“There was suddenly too much crowd,” Basdev said, his voice trembling. “One of my family members was crushed under the stampede. We had taken our dip and were returning when we saw her lying unconscious.”

His relative suffered severe injuries to her chest and legs, trampled by the relentless wave of devotees. “People just walked over her,” he said. “No one even stopped.”

WWE wrestler Dalip Singh, aka Khali, said, "I am feeling very good, this is the first time I have come here. The arrangements made by Yogi Ji are commendable, and the rush here at Maha Kumbh, is a history for the whole world."