Eyewitnesses reported that the chaos ensued when overzealous participants breached barricades to join a procession of holy men, leading to a deadly crush. Some attendees attributed the disaster to route closures that caused suffocation and collapse, leaving little chance for escape. The fatalities were not officially reported until nearly 12 hours after the incident, prompting criticism over the handling of the situation.
In response to the tragedy, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath convened a special meeting with the Kumbh Mela administration in Prayagraj. He announced the formation of a three-member judicial commission to investigate the causes of the stampede and to provide recommendations to prevent such incidents in the future. The government has also issued new guidelines aimed at enhancing crowd and traffic management, as well as improving coordination among various agencies involved in the event's organization.
The Maha Kumbh Mela, held every 12 years, is recognized as the world's largest religious gathering, with expectations of around 400 million attendees over its 45-day duration. On the festival's most auspicious day, estimates suggest that upwards of 100 million devotees gathered for the ritual bath. The vast area of 4,000 hectares was transformed into a temporary city, complete with tents, toilets, bridges, and streetlights, to accommodate the influx of pilgrims.
Despite these extensive preparations, the sheer scale of the event posed significant challenges. The opposition has criticized the event's crowd management, suggesting that better planning and increased deployment of personnel and technology are necessary to prevent future tragedies. The government has acknowledged these concerns and emphasized the importance of early alerts and quick evacuation procedures in case of emergencies.
In addition to crowd control measures, the Uttar Pradesh government has released a fire safety advisory to all camps at the Maha Kumbh Mela. The advisory instructs attendees to immediately inform the Mela control, local police, or fire stations in case of a fire or emergency incident. It emphasizes the importance of remaining calm, using available firefighting equipment, and being aware of the nearest exit routes. The advisory also cautions against storing flammable materials inside tents and using open flames or non-standard gas cylinders.