Seven Crore and Fifty Lakh People Took the Holy Bath
By 6 pm on Mauni Amavasya, 7.64 crore devotees had taken a bath. Until 28 January, approximately 19.94 crore people had bathed in the Sangam. Police and administrative officers claimed preparedness, but a small oversight led to this tragedy. Let’s understand the five major reasons behind this incident…
Millions of Devotees Sent from Holding Areas Towards the Sangam
Eighty-four holding areas were created in the Mahakumbh area to control the crowd, but these were perhaps not utilised. When devotees were sitting in Kali Marg parking and other places on Tuesday night, the police started moving them towards the Sangam. As a result, the crowd that gathered at the Sangam from nine o’clock onwards remained seated for the Amrit Snan.
One-Way Plan for Entry and Exit at the Sangam Failed
A one-way plan was made for all the baths at the Sangam. Devotees were to go from Kali Road, cross the Triveni Dam, and reach the Sangam nose via the Sangam upper route, and exit via the Akshayvat route and Triveni Dam to the Triveni route. However, this plan appeared to fail. Very few people used the Akshayvat route. People continued to come and go on the Sangam upper route.
Uncontrolled Crowd Due to Pontoon Bridges Remaining Closed
Thirty pontoon bridges were constructed to facilitate the movement of devotees in the Mela area, but 12 to 13 pontoon bridges were kept closed. If a devotee comes to the Sangam from the Jhunsi side, they have to walk several kilometres. Most elderly pilgrims get tired and sit for a long time at the Sangam nose. This led to a build-up of crowds at the Sangam.
Situation Worsened Due to Administrative Arbitrariness
The roads in the Mahakumbh area widened considerably, but they remained closed most of the time. In addition, barricading was done on the main route, which caused devotees to walk continuously. People got tired and sat down on the banks of the Sangam. This also contributed to the crowd at the Sangam.
CISF Company Stationed in Sector Number 10
The administration deployed numerous forces in the Mahakumbh area for relief and rescue operations, but they were not deployed in different sectors. A CISF company was stationed in Sector Number 10. When the stampede occurred late at night, the CISF company was called. It took the company considerable time to reach Sector 3 from Sector 10 through the crowd, worsening the situation.
