Premium

UP man ‘dead’ in Mahakumbh stampede returns alive on his ‘tehrvi’; says he was smoking chillum with sadhus

Khunti Guru, a resident of Chahchand Gali in Prayagraj’s Zero Road area, was declared dead after the stampede at the Kumbh Mela on January 29.

On January 29, a stampede at the Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, killed 30 people and left 60 injured (Image source: @mariawirth/X)

A man from Prayagraj, who was presumed dead after the Mahakumbh stampede, returned home on Tuesday to find his neighbourhood gathering for his tehrvi, for rituals performed on the thirteenth day following a person’s death. Khunti Guru, a resident of Chahchand Gali in Prayagraj’s Zero Road area, was declared dead after the stampede at the Kumbh Mela on January 29, a report in TOI said.

However, he had merely lost track of time after spending time with sadhus and smoking chillums. Nearly two weeks later, he returned home, unaware that his family and neighbours had already conducted rituals to honour his spirit.

As Guru stepped out of an e-rickshaw, he was met with stunned expressions. “What are you all up to?” he asked with a smile, leaving everyone speechless, the report said. Social worker Abhai Awasthi recalled that Guru had left on the evening of January 28, telling others he was going for a dip at Sangam on Mauni Amavasya.

Story continues below this ad

Also Read | Mahakumbh viral sensation ‘Mona Lisa’ inaugurates Boby Chemmanur’s jewellery in Kerala, dances with him

When the stampede occurred the next morning and there was no sign of him, his neighbours assumed he was dead. After several days, when Guru couldn’t be traced despite search operations, they held rituals as per custom.

On January 29, a stampede at the Mahakumbh Mela in Prayagraj, Uttar Pradesh, killed 30 people and left 60 injured. UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, in a statement, said the administration was overwhelmed by the massive crowds arriving at the Mela for Mauni Amavasya and a large number of people moving towards the Sangam Nose at the same time.