“We were aware that this sacred moment was coming after 144 years. None of us wanted to miss it. Scores of devotees were lying on the ground waiting for the auspicious hour to begin to take the dip. A sudden surge out of nowhere led to a stampede. Many got trampled as crowd pressure escalated after barricades collapsed,” he said.”Scattered shoes, slippers, and clothes at the site speak about the chaos that unfolded,” said Sumiran, who was still in a state of shock.He said that many people waited for long not just for the auspicious hour to take the dip but also to catch a glimpse of Naga sadhus.Before the tragedy, a video of the Prayagraj Divisional Commissioner, Vijay Vishwas Pant urging devotees to take precautions has now gone viral.In the video, Pant is seen advising the devotees against overcrowding the Maha Kumbh bathing area and avoiding lying down in the passage leading to the ghats.In the video, Pant could be heard saying, “Get up, get up…take a bath. Many people are expected, and there’s a possibility of a stampede.”He was seen requesting devotees to prioritize their safety, especially those who had arrived early, suggesting they should quickly vacate the area after the dip.The Triveni Sangam — the confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati — is considered the holiest by Hindus, with a belief that taking a dip in it during the Maha Kumbh and particularly on special bathing dates like Mauni Amavasya washes away people’s sins and provides them ‘moksha’ or salvation.According to data released by the Mela administration, till 2 pm on Wednesday, more than five crore people, including 10 lakh ‘Kalpawasis’, took the holy dip in the Ganga and the Sangam.Since the start of the Mela, 19. 94 crore devotees have taken a dip in the Ganga.The Maha Kumbh-2025 kicked off on January 13 in Prayagraj and will continue till February 26.The UP government expects a total footfall of around 40 crore pilgrims at the largest spiritual gathering of the world.
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