That dark night of the Kumbh Mela, when dead bodies were scattered on the platform… What happened to the devotees after taking the dip?

Kumbh Mela is organized every 12 years. Last time this fair was organized on 10 February 2013 in Prayagraj itself. On the auspicious day of Mauni Amavasya, more than 3 crore devotees had come to take a dip in the Sangam. But later the same day, such a horrific stampede took place at Prayagraj Railway Station that it is very difficult to forget. The place on platform number 6, where there was no space to step at all, became a victim of the accident.

How did the accident happen?

After the Sangam bath, devotees were gathering on the platform to return home. Arrangements at the station had broken down. Amidst the packed crowd on platform number 6, suddenly there was an announcement that the train would come to another platform. Devotees ran towards the foot over bridge. During this time the crowd became uncontrolled. Railway police resorted to lathicharge to control the situation, which led to a stampede.

Piles of dead bodies and deaths due to lack of treatment

After the stampede stopped, dead bodies were scattered on the platform. 36 people including women, children and elderly people lost their lives. The injured did not get timely treatment. Railway Kumbh ward was locked. Oxygen cylinders were empty and even stretchers were not present. People were wrapped in clothes and sheets and taken to the hospital.

pain of families

A woman from Bihar was roaming around desperately searching for her daughter. The daughter was getting married after two months. Prasad Yadav from Jharkhand told that he was buried under the crowd and felt that his death was certain. When I opened my eyes in the hospital, it felt as if I had got a second life.

failure of administration

The negligence of the Railways and administration was clearly visible. The Kumbh ward was locked at the time of the accident. The relatives of the deceased could not even get shrouds for the dead bodies. Shrouds were sold for Rs 1000-1200. Many dead bodies remained lying at the station for hours.

Administrative reasons came to light

Barriers were made for the returning devotees on the Chowk side of Prayag Junction, but this arrangement failed that day. The crowd started increasing from the Civil Lines side also. Trains were running late, due to which crowd started gathering on the platform.

There was a stampede in the morning also, but no lesson was learned

There was a stampede in Sector 12 on the morning of Mauni Amavasya. Four people had died. Despite this the administration was not alerted. Azam Khan, a minister in the then UP government, resigned taking moral responsibility, but blamed the media and railways for the accident. The UP government gave compensation of Rs 5 lakh and the Railways gave compensation of Rs 1 lakh to the deceased.