Those who have been shouting themselves hoarse over Hindutva and that the Hindus are in danger in the country have been proved right, with the death of at least 40 devotees and injuries to scores in the stampede at the Kumbh Mela.

Several sensible individuals, who were on the ground at the Kumbh Mela from day one and those who could not be there but watched videos on social media platforms, had been warning that the situation was getting out of control and that a stampede was waiting to happen.

But those at the helm of the affair did not pay any heed to the warnings.

There is no doubt that the Kumbh Mela is a mega event, and every Indian should take pride that the country holds such an event. It is for the Hindus to decide whether to participate in the Kumbh Mela and to take a dip in the Ganga to “wash away their sins,” but they were made to believe that as a Hindu, one has to be there, and one leader went to the extent of saying that those who do not participate in the Kumbh Mela are anti-national.

The way the Uttar Pradesh government went about publicising the Kumbh Mela and appealing to the public to pay a visit, it was clear that for the government and those in power, it was going to be more of a tourism and political mela than just a religious programme.

It was an attempt to show that they were able to organise the largest congregation of people, and that too........

© Free Press Journal