Uttar Pradesh minister Sanjay Nishad on Wednesday triggered a controversy after he allegedly called the Mahakumbh mela stampede a “minor incident”. At least 30 people died, while over 60 others were injured as millions of pilgrims jostled for space to take a holy dip on the occasion of Mauni Amavasya, one of the most auspicious days of the Hindu calendar.
The incident was a “minor occurrence” given the massive scale of the event, he said.
“Jaha itne bade bade ayojan hote hain, toh choti moti kahin koi ghatnayein ho jaati hain,” (in such large gathering, such minor mishaps are inevitable), said Nishad.
Nishad, who is the chief of the Nishad Party and the fisheries minister in the Yogi Adityanath government, emphasised the challenges of managing such a large crowd.
Asked about Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s allegation of mismanagement in Mahakumbh, the minister replied, he would not want to comment on it.
Akhilesh Yadav had on Wednesday demanded Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath should take moral responsibility and resign from the post.
Mahakumbh stampede kills 30
The pre-dawn stampede took place after the crowd broke barricades and jumped to the other side, crushing those waiting there. Over 90 injured were rushed to the hospital, of whom 30 died,” Maha Kumbh DIG Vaibhav Krishna said.
The officer said 25 of the deceased have been identified. Four of them are from Karnataka and one each from Assam and Gujarat.
Among those injured, 36 are undergoing treatment at the hospital and the rest have been sent with their families.
Over seven and half crore devotees took a dip Wednesday, officials said.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi offered his condolences to the devotees who lost their family members in the stampede, describing the tragedy as “extremely saddening”.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has announced a three-member judicial commission, comprising Justice Harsh Kumar, former DG VK Gupta and retd IAS VK Singh to look into the reasons behind the stampede. He also announced an ex gratia of Rs 25 lakh each for the kin of the deceased.