A long time ago, when the devas and the asuras roamed our planet, a fierce battle erupted between the two. The asuras, known as demons, and the devas, the gods, shared a common father but had different mothers. This battle was being fought over amrit, a mythical potion that grants immortality to anyone who drinks it. To lure the potion away from the hands of the asuras, Lord Vishnu descended to earth, disguised as Mohini, a beautiful and enchanting damsel. Taking the amrit away from the asuras, Mohini flew towards the heavens. This led to another battle between the asuras and the devas, leading to four drops of amrit falling to earth at the four Tirthas of Prayag, Haridwar, Nasik, and Ujjain. This event is commemorated every three years by the Kumbh Mela, held at each tirtha in turn. Since one day for the devas is equivalent to twelve days for us, after twelve cycles of Kumbh, the Maha Kumbh Mela is held at the Sangam every one hundred and forty four years.

During the Maha Kumbh, the Sangam truly comes alive. The Sangam is the point where the brown waters of the Ganga meet the green waters of the Yamuna, along with the mythical Saraswati, which remains unseen but is believed to run underground. Given that the last Maha Kumbh was held in a still colonized India, this year’s Maha Kumbh was special. Crores of devotees were expected to make their way to Prayagraj to attend the Maha Kumbh, and the government assured us that it had prepared to accommodate 100 crore people at the festival. The people of India decided to test CM Adityanath on his promise. Visitors attending the Maha Kumbh surpassed the 40 crore-mark on Friday (February 7, 2025), according to the Uttar Pradesh government. It reported that 48 lakh devotees had taken a dip at the Sangam — the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and the mythical Saraswati rivers — on Friday.

However, the government failed to deliver on its promise; it was unable to ensure safety of all the devotees who came to take a bath at the Sangam. More than 79 people are alleged to have lost their lives on the day of Mauni Amavasya. An independent investigation by Newslaundry revealed a list of 69 names—those who had been brought dead to the Motilal Nehru Medical College in Prayagraj. At least 66 of the bodies had been handed over to their families by February 3, while three remained unidentified. Ten of the victims were men, and the rest were women. Other hospitals, such as Swaroop Rani Hospital in Prayagraj, initially listed seven dead and 36 injured, later revising the death toll to ten – bringing the total to 79.

The tragedy occurred on the night of Mauni Amavasya, February 29, the most auspicious day of the festival, between 1 and 2 AM. Officials had instructed people from various camps to make their way towards the Sangam for their baths, despite the late hour and the cold temperature. The incident happened on the ‘Akhada Marg,’ used by ascetics to go in a procession to the river. Officials had put up barricades to manage the crowd, but a stampede occurred when people started trying to jump across the barricades. Eyewitness accounts, corroborated by disturbing footage, reveal that most pontoon (floating) bridges were closed, causing a massive crush of people. The crowd eventually dispersed, and pilgrims began their frantic search for loved ones who had gone missing, looking among lifeless bodies as their cries rent the air. Officials noted witnessing several devotees with fractures and injuries at the site. Deputy Inspector General (DIG) of the Maha Kumbh Nagar Mela Area, Vaibhav Krishna, told the media in the evening, “Many devotees resting on the ghat while waiting for the Brahma Muhurt became victims of the accident.”

In a reflection of flagrant mismanagement, the injured were transported to a hospital after massive delays, and the bodies of the deceased were left on the ground for hours. Samajwadi Party Leader Akhilesh Yadav criticized the management of the Kumbh, stating, “Footwear and clothing were scattered at the scene, and JCB machines and tractor trolleys were used to remove the dead.” The ex-chief minister added, “When this sparked outrage, the government scrambled to cover it up.” Part of the blame also falls on the officials at the camps who incited people to rush. Prayagraj Divisional Commissioner Vijay Vishwas Pant alerted devotees through a public address system, instructing them to “get up”: “Those who sleep, lose; those who stay awake, gain,” he said.