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The Kumbh Stampede: How Modi And Yogi’s Political Theater Turned Devotion Into Disaster – OpEd

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A sea of humanity surged towards the sacred confluence of the Ganga, Yamuna, and Saraswati, seeking salvation in the Maha Kumbh’s holiest ritual. But instead of spiritual transcendence, chaos erupted.

A stampede on Mauni Amavasya Snan claimed at least 30 lives and left several dozens injured—one of the deadliest tragedies in the history of the world’s largest religious gathering. As desperate cries filled the air and bodies were trampled underfoot, a fundamental question emerged: Was this disaster merely an administrative failure, or was it the inevitable consequence of a politically engineered religious spectacle designed to serve the ruling BJP’s electoral ambitions?

On January 29, 2025, the Mauni Amavasya Snan—one of the most auspicious bathing rituals in Hinduism—turned into a nightmarish scene of horror. Devotees, many elderly and frail, had travelled from across India and beyond, seeking divine blessings in the sacred waters of the Sangam at Prayagraj. But poor crowd control, inadequate emergency measures, and the notorious VIP culture resulted in a catastrophic stampede. Thousands were squeezed into dangerously tight spaces, and when panic set in, the weakest among them had no escape.

Eyewitness accounts paint a grim picture: a surge triggered by barricades erected for VIPs created a human funnel, trapping devotees. When the crowd broke through, the force of the stampede was unstoppable. In a matter of minutes, hundreds were crushed beneath a stampede of panicked bodies, with survivors recounting the horror of feeling the breath crushed out of them.

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© Eurasia Review


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