Several people have died and many are injured after a stampede at the Maha Kumbh on the morning of Mauni Amavasya, an auspicious day, prompting Akharas to defer the holy dip at Triveni Sangam for a few hours. Adani Group Chairman, Gautam Adani, extended his condolences and said, "The heart-wrenching incident deeply saddens us."
"We pay our humble tributes to the departed souls and express our deepest condolences to the bereaved families," Mr Adani said.
"All the members of the Adani family present at the Maha Kumbh and the entire Adani Group, in collaboration with the fair administration and the state government, are committed to providing all possible assistance to the affected families," he added.
The Akharas have now resumed the holy dip at the Triveni Sangam.
30 women are reportedly injured and are undergoing treatment at the central hospital established in the Mela area. Many deaths are feared.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi also extended his condolences "to devotees who lost their loved ones," and assured that the local administration is helping those affected.
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As crores of devotees streamed into the tent city in Uttar Pradesh's Prayagraj ahead of the 'Amrit Snan', barricades about a kilometre away from the 'Sangam' broke leading to some women fainting. As the unconscious women fell, the stampede began. They were then rushed to a hospital within the Maha Kumbh fairgrounds. Further, some seriously injured women were sent to Bailey Hospital and Swaroop Rani Medical College for treatment.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the situation is under control, but the crowd pressure remains. He urged devotees to take a dip at the nearest ghat and not make way for the Sangam Nose. "The elderly, children and asthma patients need to be extremely cautious and bathe at ghats nearest to them. All are Ganga ghats and all would get the same 'punya' (divine blessings) as it is Mauni Amavasya," he said.
Akhil Bharatiya Akhara Parishad president Mahant Ravindra Puri said that seers have called off their Mauni Amavasya's Amrit Snan. "You would've seen what happened in the morning, and that's why we have decided to... All of our saints and seers were ready for the 'snan' when we were informed about this incident. That's why we have decided to call off our 'snan' on 'Mauni Amavasya'," Mahant Ravindra Puri told PTI.
(Disclaimer: New Delhi Television is a subsidiary of AMG Media Networks Limited, an Adani Group Company.)
